The child of the Styx River
by cieuxstar
Summary: A child of the Styx River is born who has the power to gift anyone who kisses her the gift of invincibility, and finds herself constantly hunted and chased by monsters. She comes across Camp Half-Blood and is soon finding herself become accustom to the place, until she is trusted with a quest and soon finds out about her own prophecy.
1. Chapter 1

**"The Legend"**: Everyone knows the legend of the Styx River. That if one is to survive the swim, they would be granted immortality. Though no one knows of the other legend: That one day the river is to dry up. No one knows why this legend came about or who prophesied it, but out of fear the Goddess swore to protect her river by refusing that anyone else attempt to swim in it. Centuries went by without the river being penetrated, and with no new mortal to confirm that the Goddess existed; eventually people stopped believing in her. The Goddess knew that without the blessing of the humans, she would eventually fade. She asked Zeus to grant her wish of having a child to take over the river for her, so that it would not perish. Zeus granted the wish, and said he'd give her a child with a full head of blonde hair, despite the Goddess's wishes for one who looked just like her. Zeus then said, "This child's hair is a symbol of hope, despite all the dead and dreams floating in your black river." He formed the child and kept her in his kingdom, telling the Goddess she would only be allowed out when she is most needed. The child was frozen in time and an infant forever.

Until recently, it was discovered that the river was indeed shrinking. Zeus released the child but it was too late, and the River would soon be no more. Seeing this predicament, Zeus decided that the child itself were to be the river, bearing its curse and having its fluid run through her veins. A single kiss of her lips will grant immortality. As long as she lived, the immortal wishes and the promises could still be made. Unfreezing her, he then released her into the mortal earth.

** "The Girl"**: She was never given a name, but she was given a purpose: "Hide. Never reveal yourself to others what you are, because that will be the death of you. Live a normal life and grow up, but you may not grow old."

The girl never knew what Zeus meant, never knew of the warning behind his words but lived life as she pleased, only to know it was soon short lived. She found she could never stay in one place too long or else she'd be attacked by these monsters that are usually never able to kill her, so they keep coming. Life was horrible and confusing, and she prayed to the only parent she'd ever known: Zeus; to pity her, to send someone to help her, to put her in a safe house.

And now she waits for an answer.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter One

She was running. Running faster than she'd ever run in her life, and she couldn't stop; _wouldn't stop_, because she knew that it would be the death of her. For Eirene, the daughter of the Styx River was being hunted by the most vicious monster she'd seen so far. She was born with automatic knowledge of every type of Greek monster, so she knew immediately that it was a Chimera, one of the most deadly monster's she'd ever encountered. With the head of a lion, the tale of a serpent, and the head of a goat protruding from its back, it was also the strangest.

It would occasionally spit fire that engulfed her in flames for only a few seconds before it faded, and she found that her skin was perfectly intact. It was a blessing, if not curse, she had obtained from the gods. She was immortal; she could never die even if she tried, (And it was unfortunate, but she had tried quite a lot of times) which also meant that these demons had chance after chance to come after her and make her life hell.

Eirene had lived this life for sixteen years, running, fighting, and surviving. She wasn't even sure where she had learnt to fight, but it was like second nature to her. Like a Jack of all trades, she was good at every form of defense that had come her way. Sword-fighting, Archery, climbing, and it helped her escape from the clutch of futile death for a few days. Staying in one place for too long was dangerous for her; she had tried to live a normal life when she was younger. She had been enrolled in several homeless agencies but had been transferred after a few months with complaints that she was a trouble child.

It wasn't her fault; Eirene was dyslexic and ADHD. She could barely read and was constantly getting distracted by little things that caught her vision—which usually ended up being furies or other monsters chasing her.

Children had died, caretakers have died, and all it did was make Eirene feel so guilt for all of it. She had runaway at age ten and been dealing with this all on her own. She slept in local homeless shelters and ate whatever she could find. Being on the run for so long, she had been able to identify multiple editable plants, flowers, and trees; though on occasion she had been blessed with food from the gods: Ambrosia that gave her energy and filled her up since she never needed any healing.

But this time was different, this monster wouldn't give up. She had been running for days now, and she had escaped any form of human civilization. She'd lost her ring (That doubled as a sword when you tossed it in the air) miles back when the serpent tail snapped it out of her hand and encased her arm in its deadly grip. The venom had hurt like Hades, but it had faded when it realized it didn't have any affect. She didn't know what to do after that, so she ran. She had developed quite a speed for running over the years, but she never seemed fast enough. She wished she had the wit of Athena to figure a way out of this, but she was short on ideas; what would she do?

There was an approaching cliff ahead. _Great_, Eirene thought. _With my luck, of course something as cliché as this would happen,_

She skidded to a spot and turned around, seeing the Chimera swiftly approaching, the lion's, goat's, and serpent's mouth all open and ready to bite. Looking over the edge, she knew she didn't have a choice. But if she jumped over, what would she do next? Eirene looked up to the sky, pleading for Zeus to help her. She had prayed to him weeks before to help her, but so far nothing had happened. She supposed he was waiting for the right time to strike, and now seemed like a pretty good time.

And suddenly, the Chimera abruptly stopped. It had a blank look on its face for a slight second, then with a sudden lurch backwards it collapsed. In its place was a girl with a bloodied arrow in her hand. Eirene stumbled and almost fell of the cliff, clutching a nearby branch in support. She narrowed her eyes at the girl, who was crouching down and seemingly feeling the beast's pulse. Then she looked up and motioned for Eirene to come close.

Usually, Eirene would sprint off in the opposite directions in fear of a trap. She had never been saved or helped by a human, so she was sure it was a trap. But…this seemed different. As if Zeus had finally answered her prayers and was telling her _go_. In fact, she felt a slight shoved and heard a whisper slide past her ears. She walked towards the girl, slowly and cautiously, clutching her arms towards her waist as if she had a weapon hidden in her pocket; Which, Eirene realized, was a bit foolish since she was wearing a dress and had no pockets.

On closer inspection, the girl looked Asian American, with almond-shaped eyes and freckles spread across her face. Her eyes were brown, and her skin was pink. She narrowed her eyes and scanned Eirene from head to toe. Then her eyes snapped open and her face's expression changed to one of concern.

"Are you okay?" The girl stood up slowly, as she was trying not to scare her away. She was of average height but had a petite body. Eirene nodded as she released her hands and pointed to the slain beast.

"You've killed it?"

The girl nodded and kicked the body to prove its new found death. "It won't be harming you, or anyone, for hopefully a long time."

"Hopefully?" Eirene questioned.

"Hopefully." She repeated.

Eirene nodded. She knew from experience that monsters didn't always stay dead, if you were lucky they'd go away for a long time, if you weren't they'd come back in days or weeks.

Eirene's blue eyes scanned the girl's bow and arrow that was still stained with blood. Who was she? Was she someone like her? No. A voice in her head said. There is no one like you.

"My name's Samantha, Samantha Nagasaki. but you can call me Sam." She girl reached out her hand and smiled, a gesture Eirene hadn't had the pleasure of experiencing in years. It was a new chance at friendship, and Eirene hadn't had a friend since the orphanage.

She took her hand and shook it firmly, smiling in return. "My name's Eirene, Just Eirene."

Sam nodded and pulled Eirene closer, grasping her arm. The gesture was usually a threat, but coming from Sam it was friendlier. "Come on," She said, starting to lead her away before she protested.

"What? Where are you taking me?"

The girl smiled again, Eirene noticed that she smiled a lot.

"To Camp Half-blood, fellow Demigod."

**Please comment, review and share if you like? I'd really appreciate comments and reviews! **


	3. Chapter 3

Sam had told Eirene that she was ordering a taxi to take them to camp, and Eirene still had questions about where and what this 'camp' was. She had said Camp Half-blood, and called her a demigod. Only one word was familiar to her, but the other had a surprisingly delightful ring to it. Eirene was curiously as to what kind of camp this was, but she didn't want to ask too many questions and seem ignorant. She had a feeling this camp was suppose to be common knowledge for people like her, and didn't want to embarrass herself by denying it.

"Oh yeah! I forgot to ask…" Sam started rustling in her pocket and pulled out a ring. Eirene almost yelped with joy at the sight of her trusty sidekick.

"Is this yours?"

"Yes!" Snatching it out of her hand, she stared at it longingly before remembering that Sam had found it for her. "Thank you." And she meant it, without this ring, she'd had no way of defending herself when the monsters attacked.

"I found it when I was following your trail; I assume it's enchanted by a god?"

Eirene nodded, slipping it on her finger and raising her hand up to the sun to admire it. It looked like an old, vintage ring: completely silver and encrusted with diamonds and encircled with designs. She remembered exactly how she got it: When she was about twelve years old and she had walked into a local jewelry store she liked. She had never walked inside before, she had just stared at the windows and admired what were inside; such pretty, shiny things. But she finally went inside, and the ring was the first thing that caught her attention. She asked the lady behind the glass desk how much it was, and the woman had just laughed.

"Go find your mommy and daddy first; then we'll talk." She said.

It had made Eirene sad, because it reminded her that she was an orphan. She considered telling the lady that she didn't have parents, but instead just frowned and walked away. She lingered in the store just long enough for her to start getting concerned stares from the adults around her. It made her uneasy, so she left. But she never stopped thinking about that ring.

Later that week, when she was sitting high up on a tree to escape a monster that was chasing her; she saw it. Just barely, but she saw it hanging by a branch, shining in the light. She knew it was the gods showing mercy. After all the running and escaping she had done, they were finally taking pity on her. She carefully crawled towards and picked it off the branch and slipping it on her finger once, then took it off. It fit perfectly, like it was made for her.

She was in the middle of saying a quick prayer of thanks when the dog-like creature bumped its nose against the tree and she jumped, sending the ring flying into the air. She yelled when she thought she'd lost it, but then it transformed into a medium-size silver sword and fell back into her hands. It looked heavy, but it felt incredibly light. She gazed down at the creature below her and knew exactly what to do. It went through it like butter, and then it disappeared in a shatter of dust.

She had named it Karmen, modern form of Karme, or Κάρμη, in Greek. It meant to 'to shear' as in, to cut something, to slice through the stomach of the enemy. She didn't know how the name had come to her, it just did.

She hadn't realized Sam was speaking until the girl nudged her expectantly.

"Well?"

Eirene tried to search her mind to see if she'd heard of remembered anything Sam had said when she was reminiscing. She didn't.

"I'm sorry, could you say that again?"

Sam sighed, but she smiled right after. "You must be a pro at sword-fighting."

Eirene knew that wasn't what she had said before, but she went along with it and nodded. Then she remembered something else that Sam had said that bothered her.

"You said you were following my trail?"

Sam looked up at her. "Um, yeah. I've been following you for quite a while, actually."

"What?" Eirene felt utter embarrassment and shame. This girl had seen the way she lived, how she was homeless and slept on the streets. She knew she was an orphan. "Why?"

Sam backed up a bit, sensing her discomfort. "Not for that long, just a few days. I saw you barge into McDonald's and just stand there, looking relieved. I noticed that your clothes were tattered and dirty, and you had a frightened look on your face that I've seen way too many times to not know what it meant. That you were being chased, hunted. I told Chiron about you and he said you were definitely a demigod and I should keep my eye on you. So I followed you, watched you fight and fend for yourself. I was impressed, and never interfered because you seemed to have it under control. And then today the Chimera appeared, I saw you lose your sword and knew I had to do something."

Eirene just stared at her, moving her hands awkwardly at her sides. She didn't know what to say, or what to do. A normal person would find it creepy and call it stalking, but it kind of made Eirene glad. Someone had been watching over her, making sure she was safe; that she wasn't hurt.

Sam's face dropped. "I'm sorry; I just realized how creepy that sounded."

Eirene's reply was interrupted by the distant sound of beeping, and then the taxi zipped up in front of them. The door slammed open to reveal three ancient-looking women who squealed at the sight of them.

"Are those the customers? Let me see them!"

"Who else could it be, dimwit?"

"Its better you don't answer them and just enter." Sam whispered to Eirene, who nodded and followed behind Sam when she entered. The door slammed shut without being touched, and suddenly the girls found themselves clutching the seat for support. The speed the taxi was going was unbelievable; Eirene thought she wouldn't be able to move again.

"So where do you kids want to go?"

"Camp Half-blood, isn't it obvious? Now give me the eye!"

"No! I'm driving, I need the eye!"

"You had it last time, and I want to see their faces!"

Eirene leaned into Sam and whispered, "What do they mean they want to see our faces? They can't?"

Sam laughed nervously. "Only one of them can. They're the Gray Sisters, fortune tellers with only one eye that they fight over."

A sudden, queasy feeling overcame Eirene and she wanted to throw up. _One eye?_ She leaned over and took a peak at the sisters, and sure enough she saw that two of them had empty an eye-socket where their eye should be. Eirene had seen many horrible things in her life, monsters that looked disoriented and like they had been mashed together, but those were monsters. She'd never seen someone that was suppose to look human but wasn't. In a way…that was scarier.

"I hear you girlies gossiping!"

"Such rude girls!"

"They're just teenagers, now shut up and give me the eye!"

"No!"

Eirene slumped back against the cab and closed her eyes. She expected it to be a long ride hearing these two bicker all the time, but was surprised when minutes later the car stopped.

"We're here!" Sam said brightly. Eirene opened her eyes and looked out at the scene before her. There was a hill with a pine tree on top of it, and she frowned; confused.

"This is it?"

Sam scoffed, shoving Eirene so she could get out of the car. The Gray sister's sped off as soon as she slammed the door shut.

"Of course not, the camp is beyond the pine tree. Come on, if we linger too long it'll attract monsters."

And with that, Sam took Eirene's arm and led her up the path to a new life.

** Comments and reviews? I'd love if you review/comment, also don't forget to share! **


	4. Chapter 4

Sam was running with Eirene's arm in her hand, she seemed overly excited to be bringing a new camper to the site. Her face was bright and lit with excitement, as she urged Eirene to run faster. She reminded Eirene of a little kid running to their parents to ask for a reward to a good deed. And in away, Eirene guessed Sam kind of was.

They were able to cross the hill and enter camp, and Eirene stopped short as the smell of fresh strawberries hit her in the face, she closed her eyes to take in the scent, and opened them with a smile. Then she frowned—or more so, her expression turned into one of shock. She saw kids battling and fighting with each other, shooting bow and arrows, riding chariots. They were all wearing what looked like Greek war helmets on their heads, and heavy armor on their bodies. She saw satyrs and centaurs roaming the grounds, and saw kids existing amazing-looking cabins chatting among their friends.

Sam stopped on the peak of the hill and smiled proudly at Eirene's reaction. "Eirene, welcome to Camp Half-blood," She walked further down, Eirene following her path. "Welcome to happily ever after!" She twirled around and spread her arms wide, showcasing the camp. Indeed, this was something Eirene had never seen before and it scared her…in a good way.

"I wouldn't say this is happily ever after, but its close."

Both girls turned to the direction of the accusing voice, and found that a girl was standing there. Sam seemed to relax at the sight of the girl, and waved to her.

"Hey, Heather!"

The girl smiled and waved back, then stuck out her chin towards Eirene. "Who's your friend? New camper?"

Sam nodded, taking Eirene's arm again and pulling her closer. "Her name's Eirene. I found her standing over a cliff with a Chimera on her tail."

Heather's eyebrows shot up and she let out a slow whistle. "Chimera?" her eyes then landed on Eirene, and she seemed to be absorbing information. Eirene was reminded of an animal staring down its prey, calculating the best move to make before it struck. She knew that this Heather girl was someone who you didn't want to mess with, someone who would be a harsh competitor on the battlefield. The girl was taller than Sam and she was fairly skinny, though still curvy. She had tan skin and dark chocolate brown hair that reached her chest, with dark brown eyes. Her entire face shouted leader, commander, and intimidator. But she also had certain softness to it, and was very pretty.

"Hi, my names Heather Knightly, though you can call me Heather. It's nice to meet you." The girl held out her hand and she shook it, returning her smile. Her grip wasn't too firm, but also friendly. "Are you the one Sam's been reporting to us about?"

Eirene laughed nervously. "I guess so."

"I respect your integrity. I find it amazing that you've been fighting off monsters and living on your own for so long. But you don't have to worry about your safety anymore; Camp Half-blood is the safest place on earth for people like us. We'll train you to fight and master every aspect of self defense." The girl spoke clearly and fluently, confident in what she was saying. Eirene automatically felt safe around her. She knew that as long as this girl was around, she wouldn't let anyone in camp get hurt.

"Knightly, you're doing it again!"

Eirene was startled by the sudden call of a deep, male voice. It was accented with a language Eirene couldn't pinpoint. Approaching (from where the voice was heard) was a tall male, He was wearing Greek armor and had his helmet in hand and he looked somewhat muscular. His skin was pale, and his eyes were a dark brown; much like Heather's. His hair was to his shoulder in waves and was dark brown. He had a bad-boy sexy vibe to him and was looking at Heather with a playful glint in his eyes.

Heather lazily rolled her eyes over to the offender. "And what would that be, Damien?"

He smiled, and Eirene was struck by his good looks. "Acting Chiron's part," He glanced at her, giving Eirene the once-over. "I think she deserves a proper tour, by the big man himself. If you don't mind, Samantha, I'd like to take her off your hands."

"Oh no you don't! You're heading over to battle stations with me, _now_." Heather grabbed him forcefully and pulled him close, in which he responded with a smug grin.

"Don't act too eager to be alone with me, Knightly."

She scoffed and rolled her eyes. "Not a chance," then marched off in the opposite direction, looking behind her to make sure Damien was following. He ruffled Sam's hair and winked at Eirene, waving goodbye as he rushed towards Heather. Eirene was all a bit taken back by him; he was like someone she'd never met before. She doesn't remember the last time someone had ingenuously flirted with her, but she had a feeling she'd have to get used to it with Damien around.

Sam tugged on Eirene's dress to get her attention. She gestured to the two who had left, and shrugged. "Don't mind those two, they're kind of together and kind of not. It's a flirt-hate relationship with those two."

"So they're dating?"

"No, Damien flirts with everyone, but he just takes extra time with her. Heather pretends she doesn't like it, but we all know she does." The girl smiled mischievously for a moment, and then shook it off. "Anyways, we should get going; Chiron going to want to meet you."

Eirene followed Sam as she led her through camp, taking in all her surroundings. Statues were everywhere, of every minor and great Greek god. The cabins we bountiful; they were so many of them and in so many different styles. She saw one cabin that was covered in flowers and tomatoes plant vines grew all over it, with a grass roof and front porch filled with roses. Another was a bright angry red, with a dead boa on the door and barbed wire around the roof. There was one that looked like it was made out of pure gold and glowed a bit. Every cabin had a special design that represented the God they belonged to, and Eirene thought it was quite clever. Something caught her attention in the corner of her eye, and she glanced to see what seemed like a small nymphs hiding behind a tree. Her skin colour was light green, and her hair were cascades of leaves reaching her feet. The nymph glanced at Eirene, and quickly hid behind the tree once more.

Once they reached the big house, Eirene saw four people seated around a table, playing cards. One of them looked up expectantly when the girls walked in, and he smiled. It was a warm smile, one of slight familiarity. The male was in a wheelchair, and he had thinning brown hair and a dark brown beard. He glanced at Eirene with interest.

"Hello, Samantha."

"What's up, Sam!" The other male sitting said. He had black hair and sea-green eyes. His smile was bright and a little goofy, and he was wearing an orange shirt that was bursting under the strength of his muscles, and dark-washed jeans. The shirt read: **Camp Half-Blood**

"Hey, Sam," The girl had her head on the boy's shoulder, and she had long blonde hair is curls, with striking grey eyes. She was wearing the same shirt as the boy, though had shorts on. From the two's stance, Eirene could tell they were a couple.

There was another man sitting there, and his beady blue eyes didn't leave his cards for a minute. He had a chubby, red face and curly hair so black it looked purple. He was wearing a leopard-print Hawaiian shirt and purple running shoes. There was a can of coca-cola sitting by him, and a satyr stood by him looking awfully nervous.

The man in the wheelchair rolled towards the girls, and greeted Eirene with another warm smile. "Hello. I'm assuming you're the stray demigod Samantha's been telling us about?"

"I heard she's got killer fighting skills." The green-eyed boy whispered to his girlfriend. Eirene stared at him, tilting her head. He seemed…familiar. She knew him somewhere, she was sure of it. But the memory…seemed like a dream. The boy looked over and they locked eyes. A sudden, quick rush went through Eirene and she was sucked into a flashback.

She saw him…the boy…his name? It was coming to her…Percy…Percy Jackson. He was standing over a river. Her River, the Styx. He looked about ready to jump, and with his eyes closed, he did. Once he was emerged in the river Eirene got another flashback, one into his life. She saw him in preschool, being put into a snake bin and then strangling the snake to death; Him at twelve, fighting the Minotaur and taking its horn off; on his quest, fighting the lightning bolt and meeting his father. She saw him at fourteen, taking the sky's burden from Artemis; Sixteen, the battle of the titans and his kiss with Annabeth; Seventeen, travelling aboard a ship and falling with Annabeth into the pit of Tartarus. She was taken into his life saw all his memories, everything he's ever accomplished. The flashback ended with an image of Percy emerging out of the Styx River, and Eirene was taken back into the present.

She gasped and found that mostly everyone was looking at her. "What?" she snapped, still taken aback by the ordeal she had just encountered, _what had just happened?_ She had no idea. She didn't know why when she looked at Percy, she now knew his entire life story, everyone he's ever met, everything he's done, and everything he'll ever do. This was something she'd never encountered before, was it a new power? She felt Chiron hard stare boring into her, and she blinked her eyes a couple of times before she looked back at him.

"Your eyes, just now…" He started, a scowl on his face. But he soon shook his head in disbelief. "It's nothing. Welcome, new camper…what is your name?"

"Eirene,"

"Just Eirene," Sam added for dramatic effect, doing jazz hands.

"I see. Well, Welcome Eirene! To camp Half-blood, I'm glad you could come here safely. I've heard from our little friend here that you've been looking out for yourself for a while. How long would that be, exactly?"

"Six years." Silence once again consumed the room. Eirene frowned and fold her arms together. "I've been on the run for six years."

"Impressive, you've stayed alive for so long, without a guide at your side. How old are you?"

She didn't like all the questions, but answered anyways. "Sixteen. I ran away when I was ten years old." She looked around again, uncomfortable to be the center of attention; and she knew Percy and Annabeth were staring at her. She decided she wanted to redirect the attention to the counselor.

"What's your name?" Even though she knew, she had seen him and his name is Percy's memory.

"Ah my apologies, my name is Chiron, and I'll be your camp director." He suddenly stood up from his wheelchair, and Eirene moved back—startled, Right where his paralyzed legs once were, stood four hooves in its place. From the waist up he looked the same, but waist down was white horse fur and hooves. Eirene wanted to act like she was surprised, but she'd seen him like this before. Thanks to Percy.

Chiron turned to the man who'd never spoken. "Dionysus, are you going to say anything?"

The man sighed heavily and set his cards down dramatically, then took a long sip out of his soda. When he set it down, his face was redder than it was before.

"Right, right, say hello to the new camper? Alright then, I'm Dionysus, unfortunately whose also the camp director. Stay out of the trouble and don't bother me." And just like that, he was back to his cards game. Percy scowled at him, then dropped his cards and walked over to where Eirene was. Annabeth followed him.

"Hey, I'm Percy. Don't mind Mr. D, he's just upset cause his dad sentence him to centuries directing camp half-blood," He leaned in and whispered, "Penalty for flirting with a nymph against Zeus's orders."

Annabeth smacked his arm. "She doesn't need to know all that." She then turned to Eirene, her gray eyes shining. Eirene was already intimidated by their stormy glow, she knew Annabeth was the daughter of Athena, and she gave off the same vibe that Heather did.

"I'm Annabeth. Don't worry, you will have fun here. You'll train and fight and learn to take care of yourself."

"Not like you need to, though." Percy added with a grin.

Eirene smiled back, but it didn't reach her eyes. She was wary of Percy, she didn't know why she had seen the things she had. Was Zeus sending her a message? Did he want her to see that? Or…was it just that she knew about Percy because he had taken a swim in the river? To make sure, she wanted to be quizzed. She wanted to be asked everything about him, to confirm her theory that she knew everything about everyone who's ever swam in her river. She was sure she'd have an answer to them all.

"So, which God's child are you?" Annabeth asked.

But Eirene didn't have an answer to that.

**Comments and reviews? I'd love if you review/comment, also don't forget to share!**


	5. Chapter 5

She started fidgeting with her hands, and her lips suddenly felt dry. What would she tell them? She hadn't been expecting this question; she hadn't been told what to say. She pulled on her dress while she tried to stall for an answer, and fortunately Annabeth took notice.

"Oh, you must want to change right? We'll get you a fresh set of clothes. Just wait here." She dashed out of the room, her hair bouncing after her. Eirene sighed with relief and sat down; pulling her dress as far as it would go. She'd had this thing for years, and it was her favorite piece of clothing. But it never grew with her, and since Eirene was fairly tall the dress often rid up on her thighs.

Chiron looked down at her, his eyes understanding and narrow. "You haven't been claimed yet, have you?" His eyes looked hard though, like he was angry.

Eirene didn't look up from her feet, just shook her head. She didn't bother to add what else she was thinking: _And I never will be. The Goddess of the Styx River is dead_.

Dead because no one believed in her anymore and Eirene was the one chosen to bear the curse when the river dried up. Sometimes when she thought too much about it her mood worsened. They only person she could really call 'mom' was centuries dead, and the closest person she'd ever known as a father figure she'd only seen once. No, stop thinking negative thoughts; It'll show in your face. Eirene shook her head and forced herself to smile.

"That's weird. The gods swore to claim all of their kids by age thirteen. You're far overdue." Percy said, concern and frustration hidden in his voice.

"But, it doesn't matter right? I can still stay here, right?" A her tone was a bit panicked when she didn't mean it to be, she was just worried that they'd reject her and send her back into the horrible life of running…. always running.

She didn't want to run anymore.

"Of course you can, we don't turn away demigods. We'll just stick you in the Hermes cabin until you get claimed." Percy answered, laying a comforting hand on her shoulder. Eirene almost jerked at the sudden contact when a burst of light shielded her vision. She saw a glimpse of Percy touching the lower part of his back, where his Achilles' mark used to be. When she was sucked back into the present she jumped up from her seat and moved five steps back away from Percy.

He looked confused. "Are you…?"

"Yeah, yeah I'm fine." Eirene interrupted. "Just…don't touch me."

She didn't mean for it to come out as harshly as it did, but she had said it and she couldn't take it back. She was just scared, she didn't _know_ what was happening, she didn't like what was happening. If Percy was the one that provoked the visions within her, then she'd stay away from him. Sam frowned and stepped towards her, her hand motions questioning.

"Eirene? What's wrong?" Then she narrowed her eyes and snapped her head towards Percy. "Did you do something perverted to her?"

He held up his hands defensively. "I didn't do anything!" his expression was so frightened and worried, Eirene chuckled a bit.

Annabeth laughed as she came back into the room, holding a folded pair of clothes. "Percy wouldn't do something perverted to me, let alone someone he's just met." She held the clothes out to Eirene. "Here you go; Fresh and clean."

Taking the clothes, she nodded to Annabeth. "Thank you."

"You're welcome." She laid her hands on her hips and shifted her weight. "So, whose kid are you?"

Sam shook her head. "Unclaimed, she'll be in the Hermes cabin." She then shot Eirene a longing look. "Lucky, Matthew's in that cabin."

"Matthew?"

Annabeth rolled her eyes and gestured for Eirene to follow her. "Come on, I'll show you to the cabin, its number eleven."

Eirene followed Annabeth out of the big house and on the way caught sneaking glances at her. From what she knew about her…Annabeth had gone through a lot with Percy. And she had grown from it, which was obvious enough in the way she walked and carried herself. She respected the girl and looked forward to being friends with her.

"So…you're in the Athena cabin?"

Annabeth gave her a side glance. "Yeah, how'd you know?"

Eirene mentally kicked herself, she hadn't thought about the question before asking it. "Lucky guess," She took a deep breath to calm her nerves. "Whose kid is Percy?"

"Poseidon. You should see him at work; it's amazing."

Eirene nodded, not wanting to reveal she'd already seen him at work. "So are you and Percy going out?"

A small smile tugged at Annabeth's lips. "Yeah, we have been for a while now."

"That's nice, with the whole rivalry going on between your parents and all."

Annabeth didn't stop walking but she did give Eirene another side glance. "I'm surprised you know about that; with you being on the run for so long and all."

Eirene flushed. "Um, I've always had an interest in Greek mythology. I'd look it up in my spare time, before I ran away."

Annabeth nodded. "Well, you and I have that in common."

"The Greek mythology?"

She giggled. "Well yeah, but also the fact that you ran away from home so early; I ran away too, when I was seven."

"_Seven?_" Eirene felt a pang of sympathy for Annabeth having run away at such a young. Eirene knew how hard it was to handle yourself at age ten, so she couldn't even begin to imagine age seven.

"Family problems," She looked down at her feet, and Eirene got the feeling the subject was a touchy matter. "What about you? What was your reason?"

"They kept sending me away to new places. And when the new places would complain about me, they'd send me away again. Monsters kept attacking, and I'd get blamed for the deaths. I finally decided to stop endangering the people around me and hit the road." Memories were running through her head, and Eirene felt herself shrink at the sudden sting behind her eyes. She didn't want to cry, this was the worst place to cry. She was finally in a good place, she was finally safe. It made no sense to cry here.

Annabeth stayed quiet for a long time. Finally with a sad smile she said, "You aren't alone. All demigods have a similar story." They arrived at the front door of a cabin with brown paint and a caduceus on the door. Voices were echoing from inside.

"You stole my fourth bead!" Voice number 1 accused.

"Did not! I stole your _second_ bead." Voice number 2 corrected.

"Give it back, you lying thief!" Voice number 1 demanded.

"Hey now, we're all lying thieves here." Voice number 3 comforted, trying to break up the fight. There was uproar of argument coming from the cabin, and Eirene hesitated before she knocked. She looked up at the cabin again, and remembered it was Hermes: The god of travel, messages, and _thieves_. Eirene looked nervously at Annabeth, not sure whether she should walk in or wait for them to finish arguing.

Annabeth smiled like she was used to it shook her head. She proceeded to knock and the door opened almost immediately, revealing two identical twins.

"Anna, what can we do for you?"

"You can start by never calling me Anna again. And also, you have a new camper."

The twin's eyes landed on Eirene and the smiled that appeared on their lips made shivers go throughout her body.

"Hermes kid?" The one of the right asked.

"No. She's unclaimed."

They both frowned, and the one of the left crossed his arms over his chest. "How old?"

"Sixteen." Eirene answered, looking down at her feet in embarrassment. Surely being unclaimed at her age was strange, and she would start getting weirder when she never got claimed. She had never liked being the center of attention, and being the new (unclaimed) camper wasn't helping her preferences.

"Odd. Very Odd,"

Another head popped up in the doorway. A guy with boy band-styled black hair and freckled cheeks smiled when he saw Eirene. "We got a new Hermes camper?"

The left one shook his head. "Nope, but we got an unclaimed."

The freckled one shrugged. "So? Do you what you gotta do and get in here before these two break each other's necks." He disappeared and the twin's attention was back on Eirene.

"Well, I'll leave her in your care." Annabeth turned towards Eirene. "Keep all of your belongings on lock and key. And put this around your neck," the girl took Eirene's hand in her own and place brown thread in it.

"What's this?" The thread was thick and strong and smooth. It looked more like a bracelet than a necklace, and it was bigger than her palm.

"Your camp necklace," She gestured to the string tied around her own neck, filled with dozens of beads. "You add a bead every year you stay at camp. I hope you'll be staying for many."

Eirene smiled softly. "Me too,"

Annabeth nodded once more and walked off, returning to the big house. Eirene turned towards the twins, whose smile had taken a playful turn to it. They both took Eirene's hand in theirs and shook it chronologically.

"Welcome, newbie. I'm Connor, and this is Travis. We're the Stoll brothers."

Eirene giggled. "Your last names are Stoll? Isn't that a bit ironic?"

The boys took on a blank face. She waited for them to get it, but the joke seemed to have passed right over their heads. Finally Travis broke the awkward silence with a laugh and a slap to the knee. "You must be a daughter of Poseidon; Percy told us that same joke years ago. Still don't get it."

She didn't bother correcting them, but stood with her clothes hugged to her chest. "If you don't mind, I'd like to change into the camp clothes?"

"Oh, right! Come right in, bathrooms on the left." Both boys cleared the path and allowed Eirene entrance, and when she stepped into the place she'd be calling home for a while, she felt a warm feeling overtake her. The place was a bit roomy, despite being once so packed that they were sleeping bags on the floor. She made her way towards the bathroom and locked the door, once, twice, three times, and stopped when she got to the fourth one. It was an automatic red flag that the bathroom door had so many locks, she assumed it was so the person inside had enough time to cover themselves before someone burst in. Laying her clothes on the bathroom, she carefully removed her ring and placed it on top of her clothes. She changed into the camp clothes and reveled in the snugness. She hadn't enjoyed the feel of jeans on her legs in a while and liked the shorts; even though they seemed a bit too short. Her height was sometimes a problem for her, Eirene wasn't freakishly tall but she was a bit taller than the average height for her age.

With her ring back on and dress in hand, she unlocked all the doors and stepped out. The first face she saw was of the freckled boy, whose sharp nose and upturned eyebrows spelled troublemaker.

"You're the new camper. Good to meet you, I'm Matthew." He held out his hand and smiled. Eirene wondered if shaking hands was common in this camp, everyone seemed to do it. The boy's light pink lips were turn up in an impish smile; he had bright green eyes and was of average height, but kind of skinny. He had an awkward-boyish charm to him. She shook his hand and returned the smile.

"The names Williams; Matthew, Williams," His changed his voice to sound dark and powerful, imitating a spy. Eirene assumed it was a joke and chuckled, slipping her hand out of his.

"My name's Eirene."

His sudden smile made her furrow her eyebrows. "Well, Eirene, this is a lovely ring you've got…" He opened his palm to show that the ring that was once on her finger was now clutched in his. "It must've caught a pretty shiny penny…"

Eirene gasped. No one touched her ring, No one.

He made as if he was going to tossed it in the air and she lunged for it.

**Comments and reviews? I'd love if you review/comment, also don't forget to share!**


	6. Chapter 6

Unfortunately, Eirene miscalculated her steps and instead of grabbing his hand she tackled him to the floor. A shelf went down with them and caused quite the ruckus, distracting the two bickering cabin mates momentarily.

Connor's annoyed voice sounded from the corner. "What's going on—?" He stopped short when he saw the two teens spiraled on top of each other, shaking with laughter. A small smile tugged at his lips. Travis was leaning against the door, shaking his head.

"Come on now, that's not right. You're practically related."

Eirene's head shot up and she locked eyes with Matthew, whose ears were as red as his face. She sat up and grabbed his hand, ignoring the strange stares she was getting from all around. Forcefully opening up his palm, she yanked the ring free from his grasp and staggered to a stand. Matthew still looked taken aback from being football-style wrestled to the floor, and it took him a moment before he regained his composure and sprang up.

"What the 'ell was that for?" He complained, the red tinge draining from his face. But his ears were still bright red.

"You stole my ring!"

He rolled his eyes. "Of course I _stole_ your ring. I'm a child of Hermes, that's what we _do_."

Eirene felt herself start to shiver from all the attention she was getting. She wanted to crawl under a tree and curl into a ball, blocking everyone out. She was never used to attention; attention was never a good thing for a demigod. It made her nervous, it made her want to run and hide. But…she was in a different place now. She was going to be surrounded by people all the time; she couldn't feel helpless and scared anymore. She had to stand strong, she had to show the gods that she was worthy of being here; that she was greatly for the safety they had granted her.

"Well, you don't _touch_ my ring. You don't touch anything that belongs to me." She said threateningly, taking a step towards him. His expression was frightening; he was backing up with a quickening pace. Eirene suddenly felt a sick feeling dug itself in her stomach as she watched his expression. She'd been too harsh, she wasn't used to being assertive and whenever she tried it just came across as mean. And Percy, too… She thought back to his expression grudgingly. She'd have to apologize; she wouldn't feel right if she didn't.

Suddenly, Matthew's expression hardened and she stepped forward. Only then did Eirene realize he was a head taller than her. "And if I do?"

The way he was looking at her, she felt scared. She felt like an idiot, throwing a threat out there and then being scared of the response she was receiving. She gazed into his eyes and felt herself shrink, quickly averting them.

"Um, where's my bed?" Her voice was small, but she made it clear that she was over with this encounter by backing away and hugging her chest. Travis moved from the doorway and gestured to the closest bed on the right. She walked with her head bowed through all the stares and looks over to her bed; sitting down.

Everyone re-collected around the middle of the room and sat down on their respectable beds. Travis and Connor were the only ones standing, leaning against their own beds.

"Well okay, now that we're through with that little fiasco, let's get on to the real business."

"Yeah, it's introduction time! Welcome campers of 2012!"

"To a new year," Connor stated.

"A new year!" Travis echoed his face overly excited.

"And new adventures," Connor continued.

"Scary adventures!" Travis added, making ghostly sounds behind his brother's back.

Connor elbowed his brother, telling him to stop. "We're your counselors, Travis and Connor Stoll. We'll be responsible for you throughout the year, and help get you accustomed to camp half-blood."

Travis took off where his brother left off. "We'll help train you in defense and attack, and Hermes children are particularly sporty, so I'm not afraid that we'll pound the others in capture the flag this afternoon!"

"I would say try not to get on the other campers nerves, but I wouldn't demand for the impossible; especially when the Aphrodite campers are involved. You have my permission to screw with them if you'd like." Connor winked at the campers. Some snickered; some rubbed their hands together in anticipation of all the pranks they'd pull. Eirene was twisting her ring on her finger gazing into the white diamond, looking for answers. She knew she didn't belong in his cabin, and she wasn't sure she wanted to stay with what had just happened. She'd only been here for a few hours and she'd already become an outsider. They were cabins for minor gods, but they would be no cabins for dead gods.

Or…maybe they were?

She had tuned out the rest of the twins introduction speech and only heard the part when Travis said,

"Well it's about time for selected cabin activities. Right now we're with the Apollo and Hades cabin with 'monster hunting'."

One of the cabin mates groaned. "They're going to fry us and eat us for dinner."

There was a flood of agreement and a rush of sudden, upside down smiles. Connor clapped his hands to get their attention back. "Come on now, we've beaten them before. We can do it again."

"Yeah, that was when Dennis was with us." Matthew sighed, climbing down from the stairs on his bunk bed. "But we haven't seen him since last summer."

Before she could stop herself, Eirene blurted his name. Everyone looked at her, and she looked back down to her hands. But the name…she was sure she'd heard it before. It could've just been a coincidence, they were multiple people named Dennis around the world.

"Anyways, we'd better get going so we're not the last ones there."

Sam immediately tackled Eirene with a tight hug; her vivid smile put Eirene in a much better mood than she was before. The little Apollo camper was such a bright and bubbly person that she was a joy to be around. Eirene hoped that nothing would happen to cause them not to be friends anymore.

"You've got monster hunting? That's awesome: we're together!"

Eirene smiled at the girl's attitude. She was so cute; she couldn't be more then fourteen. It explained the energetic persona she radiates every time she steps into a room.

"Attention losers! Gather around and listen if you don't want to be left behind." A tall and bulky woman with dull brown hair was standing atop a collection of boulders, yelling at the top of her lungs. Everyone seemed to listen to her immediately and rush to her side. Upon closer inspection she seemed to be telling them the directions for this session. They were going to release them into the forest with a selected number of monsters that the campers were supposed to find and successfully capture and/or kill. It sounded pretty dangerous to Eirene, especially since no one was given any type of protective gear or anything. But she didn't complain or argue, just got into formation with the others and waited in line to get her weapons.

"So tell me," Eirene started, looking to Sam. "All we do is go into the woods, shoot and kill some animals, and then come back?"

Sam started to say something, but the female instructor beat her too it. "That's what I just said, cupcake. But it isn't as easy as that," She took off her sunglasses and Eirene was greeted by her intense brown eyes.

"You're the new unclaimed camper?"

_Great, now everyone knows. _

Eirene didn't answer, and the woman who Eirene knew was named Clarisse, smirked and put her sunglasses back on and tied a red bandana around her head. She spit out a toothpick, and handed Eirene a bow and arrow and gave Sam a sword. Eirene knew that Sam immediately wanted to complain about her weapon, but given that they could somehow see Clarisse's hard stare through her glasses quiet her down.

Eirene was looking at the other campers, and noticed Damien was just leaning against a tree, spinning the sword in his hands. He gave off a strange vibe to Eirene; she felt a supernatural power from him, but not the same amount she felt from everyone else. His was stronger, doubled. And it kind of scared her.

Sam noticed her staring. "Oh no, you don't fancy him do you?"

Eirene shook her head, alarmed. "No, I just found it strange how he's just standing there while everyone else is trying to get accustomed to their weapons."

Sam shrugged. "Damien is an odd one. He's always been, but not because of that. He's a good fighter; he knows how to use every weapon; so he doesn't need to practice."

"Then why is he an odd one?"

Sam sighed and looked uneasy. "When he came here three years ago, he was claimed. But not just by one god, by two: Hades and Poseidon."

Eirene did a double-take. "He was _what_?"

"Yeah, it caused a lot of uproar within the camp because it was a real scandal. A trident mark appeared over his head, and only seconds later a bident followed. We think it's because both his parents were demigods, one of Hades and other of Poseidon."

"That seems…realistic."

Sam looked at her from the corner of her eyes. "I guess, when you think about it. But he's also the first we've had in camp so it's still a big deal."

And then, Eirene felt a rush of wind and a shiver overcame her which was soon followed by a pair of arms crossed over her chest tightly. A deep, accented whisper sounded in her ear.

"Was someone gossiping about me?"

She turned and saw Damien's head perched on her shoulder.

**Comments and reviews? I'd love if you review/comment, also don't forget to share!**


	7. Chapter 7

He was smiling the same devilishly flirtatious smile she saw when she first met him, and Eirene didn't like it. It held a strange intent behind it that made her uncomfortable.

"Could you please…let go of me?"

He released his arms immediately, holding them at his side. Samantha rolled her eyes theatrically and folded her arms across her chest.

"Can we help you?"

His eyes narrowed and darted to the little one. His smile slowly started to fade, but turned into a comical one.

"Matthew and I were discussing you yesterday,"

It was like he said the magical seven words that contorted Sam's features from one of annoyance to one of joy.

"Really?"

Damien raised his eyebrows and smiled, nodded. "Oh yes, it was quite a long conversation, in fact; Very insightful." He then gazed towards the sky in a pondering fashion, and then turned to walk away.

Sam's face of confusion and outrage was almost funny to Eirene. "Wait!" She called. Damien paused mid-walk and turned around, his eyebrows still raised and a smile still on his face.

"Yes?" his voice was higher, touching on the brink of innocence.

"Just tell me what he said!" She begged. He laughed, and then rubbed his chin as he strolled back to the two girls. Eirene watched in silent fascination, she already knew that the only reason Damien brought up Matthew was because he wanted something. He looked like the type of guy to never offer information unless there was a fair exchange.

"Oh I'd be happy to, you just walk with me here…" He put his arm around Sam and led her away from Eirene, who was still silently watching. And then suddenly, they weren't there anymore.

Eirene blinked to make sure she'd seen what she saw. Damien and Sam had vanished in not a flash of light, but a flash of shadow. She looked again, but didn't see the pair return. And before she could alert someone, a whistle was ringed and everyone darted into a hiding spot, leaving Eirene standing out in the open by herself.

She clutched her bow and arrow harder as she rushed to hide; climbing up the nearest tree. Her eyes scouted the area for any beast in sight, when she almost jumped out of her tree from the sudden fright.

"Hiding from any oncoming beasts, I see."

Eirene refrained from shouting but let out a high-pitched yelp. There, standing next to her and gazing with its big ocean blue eyes, was a two-foot in height, green-skinned and loin cloth wearing Kobalos.

Eirene lowered her weapon. "Not particularly, since I'm assuming you are the beast I'm searching for."

The creature chuckled. "A bit small to be a mighty beast, don't you think?" He looked behind the tree and pointed. "I think I see one coming now."

Reframing from rolling her eyes at the poor attempt in trickery, Eirene narrowed her eyes and peered into his. "Why aren't you hiding from me?"

"Hiding would indicate that I was afraid, which I am not."

"And why aren't you afraid? To complete my task of killing you all I'd have to do is point," She positioned her weapon and stared at the space between his eyebrows. "And shoot."

He chuckled even louder. "Because you wouldn't shoot something that fascinates you,"

Eirene lowered her arrow to think about that. It was just a bit extraordinary that instead of attacking her, roaring or shooting fiery spits of death towards her, this so-called monster was speaking to her in an intellectual manner. It was engaging her in a conversation just so it could derive her from her intentions: To kill and/or capture. But she also thought about all the amazing things she'd seen over her life-time; So many monsters, and not all hideous or mean, some astonishing in form or manner. She had killed them all, some with her bare hands and others with an escape tactic. And she hadn't done it because she's wanted to, but because she'd _had _to.

So as she looked at the Kobalos smirking before her, she didn't even hesitate to raise her weapon and shoot. But she didn't shoot at the creature; she shot at the spot of grass right besides it.

"I'll make you a deal. I won't kill you if you surrender quietly and come back to the base with me."

He scoffed. "No good. I want to be taken back into the cabin with you."

I recoiled. Surely, such an intelligent creature would know that was impossible. And what good did he have being in a demigod cabin? "And why is that?"

His smile made me notice just how sharp his teeth were. "I know you are of Hermes, young one. And one of those pesky messenger's children have stolen a valuable from me. A false camper, I saw him last year."

Eirene tried to form an image of who she thought was the culprit, but all Hermes kid had the face of a thief. "What have they stolen from you?"

He seemed immediately uncomfortable and started fumbling with his hands. Words of threat were muttered under his breath and he moved in a small rapid circle. Eirene's eyes darted to the side as she caught a ruffle in the shrubs. Seeing nothing emerge, she concluded it was just the wind. But then she realized that she had felt no wind prior to the rustling.

She raised her bow and arrow and shot without a second thought. An almost immediate "Ow!" erupted, revealing the culprit. It was Matthew, and he was clutching at his now bleeding shoulder with a painful expression. The arrow had implanted itself into his shoulder, looking alarmingly stiff.

"You've killed me! I'm dying!" He screeched, walking only a few feet and then collapsing to the ground. Eirene's urge to roll her eyes were overshadowed by overwhelming fear and guilt. She'd shot at him, what was she thinking? She'd thought it was another beast or a friend of the Kobalos. She rushed to his side and flipped him over, hearing him groan in pain.

"What were you doing spying on me?" She found herself asking, instead of tending to his wounds.

"Does it matter? I'm bleeding for queen's sake!"

Eirene suddenly grabbed the end of the arrow with both hands and took a deep breath. "Brace yourself, this is going to hurt." And she slowly eased it out, throwing it on the grass behind her. The wound was small and round but deep. He'd need stitches.

"Call for 'elp!"

Eirene considered it. But she also considered something else. She raised her hand to her face and stared at it, questioning. _No, no, no, I can't_. It was foolish to try and heal him like that, and it would just rise suspicious. With a defeat sigh and a sudden intake of breath, she belted for help.

"Help! Someone help, He's hurt!"

The response frightened her. As if everyone was hiding in the trees and observing, several campers came rushing towards her and circling Matthew. There was a cacophony was questions and debate over what had happened.

"Was it a monster?"

"Is it poisonous? Will he die?"

"It looks like he was shot."

"By an arrow?"

"So by a camper then?"

Eirene's temple started sweating and she slowly stood up and eased herself into the back of the crowd. She could feel the heaving sighs her chest was giving her, and how fast her heart was beating. What would happen to her now? What was the penalty for harming one of your own? And even if there was no punishment, she would surely face social exile. From her cabin mates, and from her fellow campers; she'd be blacklisted, and it'd be all her fault.

_ I should just run, run and never come back. _

It was what she was best at doing in the times she was most scared. And she was terrified right now. With clutched fist and watered eyes, she turned around swiftly only to see Sam face staring straight at her. The girl took notice of her watered eyes, and comment on them.

"What's wrong? Who was shot?"

"I…" Eirene's mind flashed back to Sam's expression when Matthew's name had been mentioned, it showed that she obviously had feelings for him. _What about Sam? I don't want to lose her too. _

But for some reason the Eirene still told the truth. "It's Matthew."

**I'm sorry for the late update! Holidays, and a lot of other things... But please review/comment and share! **


	8. Chapter 8

Without even waiting for the rest Sam pushed Eirene aside and rushed into the crowd. Eirene suddenly remembered the Kobalos, and how it must've escaped by now. Failed mission, it seemed. But what was it that the creature believed one of her mates took from him? It seemed desperate to get it back.

The crowd parted to reveal Connor and Travis carrying him out on a gurney, back towards the camp. Everyone was looking after him, a worried expression plastered on their faces. Eirene wondered if this was the first time anyone had ever gotten hurt during this game just when Clarisse came out with her sunglasses perched on her head. She looked terribly annoyed and Eirene did her best to try and be invisible.

"Alright, alright! Quiet down."

The cacophony died down. Clarisse cleared her throat and began once again.

"We aren't sure whether he was wounded by an animal or a camper, and if a camper, whether it was accidental or on purpose. But we will be looking deeper into this and when we find the culprit, if there is one, they will severely punish." Murmurs spread the crowd and Eirene was reminded of her days in the orphanage, when children were mysteriously hurt and the eyes would always be on her.

"Any former activities in this forest will be cancelled until further notice."

That statement caused another uproar of complaints, which quiet down when they saw the glare in Clarisse's eyes. She dismissed the campers to their cabins and everyone was sentenced to moping around until bonfire before Chiron interfered and allowed them to join the other campers in their activities. Eirene was relieved she wouldn't be trapped in a cabin with all those accusing eyes, she was sure they would sense it was her. She had had an earlier banter with Matthew; they'd think she still held a grudge. _Or maybe my ADHD mind is just too paranoid; maybe they'll be too worried about him to think about me._

It seemed like Sam always knew where Eirene was, because she found her along the walk out of the woods. The little girl bounced a bit when she walked; something, Eirene noticed, she'd never done until now; a sure sign that she was nervous.

"Don't worry; he'll be fine. You need not to worry so much…" Eirene suspected she was trying to convince herself as much as she was Sam. Sam looked up at her, her brown eyes filled with hope.

"A little bit of Ambrosia will fix him up, I know." She sighed. "But I can't help worrying, I like him so much."

Eirene was reminded of Damien whisking her away with tales of Matthew. "Speaking of which, what did Damien say?"

Sam expression hardened and she flushed. "He told me that Matt thought I was cute, but that I was too young for him."

"How old is he?"

"Seventeen; that isn't too old, is it?"

Eirene shrugged, she wasn't an expert on relationships: She'd never been in one. She didn't really know what qualified as an 'acceptable age' in a relationship.

"I don't think so," She finally answered. Sam smiled sadly and nodded her head as she glanced at the floor, which led to Eirene thinking something else was wrong.

"Do you…think its wrong?"

Eirene stopped walking. "What is?"

"To wear your heart on your sleeve; I have a habit of doing that with my crushes." Samantha fumbled with her camp shirt and fiddled with her beads, thinning her lips. Eirene didn't know how to respond to that, it seemed like a rhetorical question, and Samantha seemed deep in thought. They ended up walking in different directions without even saying goodbye to each other.

Eirene wandered over to Battle Stations, where the Athena, Hephaestus, and Poseidon kids were residing. Annabeth seemed to be the activities instructor, as she was welcoming in all the late campers. Eirene was somewhat comforted by her presence, she had the aura of a wise older sister who always protected you. As Eirene waited in line to get her battle instructions, she scanned the crowd to see what they were doing. Standing in formation, and attacking the offending team in order. And the way they moved, it was so synchronized it seemed like dance. Eirene noticed that Heather seemed to be leader of the formation and looked fiercest when she fought. She admired her a bit too.

But Eirene noticed someone else she didn't recognize, but he managed to catch her eye. He was in formation too, standing by the trees like some other people were. He was tall, at least 6'3 with a lean and muscular body. His hair was a dark dirty blonde, and was highlighted by the sun reflecting off its shiny glow. He wasn't wearing the camp clothes; instead for the orange t-shirt and khaki shorts he was wearing a snug khaki sweater shirt and loose jeans. His camp beads were fastened around his wrist instead of his neck, and he had a sword in one had while the other held a small book.

Eirene observed as he read, and every few pages he would snap his head up to catch someone trying to infiltrate. He would then proceed to lazily put the book away and swing the sword towards them in a lazy fashion. This always seemed to annoy the opposing player, and they charged at him. Expected him to crumble, Eirene was pleasantly surprised when his reflexes and moves were as sharp and swift as the person he was fighting. He always blocked an attack, and when he'd aim to strike he'd hit his opponent. He was surprisingly good at fighting, and it seemed to come effortlessly to him. It was how effortlessly he did it that intrigued Eirene—and the way he fought, Elegant and beautifully, precise and calculated.

"Eirene?"

Snapped out of her reverie, Eirene turned her head to the call of her voice. It was Annabeth, looking at her with a puzzled expression. Eirene quickly scooted up to stand directly in front of Annabeth, who then began to give her the battle instructions.

"Are you alright?" Annabeth asked when she dismissed her. Eirene nodded, walking off to her station, which to her surprise was right across from the alleged boy. Gingerly stepping into formation, she gazed at him as he read. She noticed that he had this casual-cool expression to him all the time, even when he sometimes fought. Eirene considered herself lucky that she was placed in a spot so far away from the actual battle, only few people actually came this way.

After thirty minutes or so of no attacks, Eirene sank down to the floor and sat down, wrapping her arms around her knees.

"Get up."

Her head shot up and she stared forward. Was it him that had spoken?

His gaze upon her confirmed it. "What are you doing? Stand up!"

The authority in his voice made her shoot up immediately. She straightened her back and fumbled with her hands at her side. His voice was…low and husky. It also had a hint of an English accent to it. He pressed his lips into a thin line.

"Where's your weapon?"

Eirene nervously pointed at her ring. "This thing, it turns into a sword."

"And when do you plan to chuck it out? When the enemy's got a blade scraping against your neck?" He sounded sarcastic and almost angry, and Eirene averted her eyes in shame. She didn't feel like there was a need for a weapon, no one was coming. No one had comes in what seemed like hours. But nevertheless, she pulled off her ring and threw it in the air, catching it with silent grace as it fell into her hands. She swung at her side and cocked her head in a comedic manner, quietly asking for his approval. He barely registered the weapon at her side and returned his attention back to his book. This irritated Eirene for some reason, she saw that other campers were conversing among themselves and being friendly with each other, but it seemed like this man had no interest in common courtesy.

And not for the first time, Eirene took a leap of faith.

"What's your name?"

He didn't look up. "Irrelevant."

"My name's Eirene."

This time he did look up. "Also Irrelevant," And then returned to his book. Eirene furrowed her eyes, irritated. Why was he being so distant?

"What book are you…"

Just then, they heard the steady stampede of footsteps coming from the path behind them. The boy dropped his book and picked up his sword, assuming the ready stance. Eirene mirrored him, but knew that from an observer's eyes she'd look like she was having a fit. She felt strangely nervous, and felt herself shaking from head to toe. A feeling of cold dread overcame her, and she dropped her sword. _Cold, cold cold cold why is it so cold? _

Eirene felt her throat started to close up and she grabbed at it helplessly, trying to figure out what was wrong with her.

"Hey! What are you doing? Eirene!" The man ran to her side and was able to catch her before she fell, grasping her body even tightly as she shook uncontrollably in his arms. She found that she could not control her body; that she could not even speak. She didn't know what was happening to her, but it did not feel like a divine interference.

"Camper down! Send help! Camper down!"

She felt like fainting, but she was trying so hard not to. She just felt fear and panic and she felt so_ cold_. Eirene heard more footsteps coming, ones that were getting closer.

"What is it? What's going on?"

Her vision was getting blurry, but she could see a female figure crouching down and a fury of blonde hair—Annabeth.

"I don't know, she just started shaking; she's not having a seizure because—"

"Her mouth isn't foaming and her eyes are staring straight ahead." Annabeth spoke calmly, and brushed Eirene's hair from her face as she stared directly into her eyes. "She's having a panic attack. Or more accurately, delayed shock. She'll pass out in a few seconds; just carry her back to the infirmary."

And within those few words, Eirene felt herself lose consciousness.

**Comments and reviews? I'd love if you review/comment, also please share!**


	9. Chapter 9

"I think she's waking up."

She could hear the voices, but she couldn't see the faces. Her eyelids felt heavy and over-rested, but she could move her arms and legs.

"Did we give her enough Ambrosia?"

"I think so, but we can't risk anymore."

She felt a hand touch her arm followed by a jolt of electricity that shook her body, forcing her eyes to snap open. Annabeth and Percy were staring down at her, with an alarmed expression.

"Where am I?" She shot up in alarm. "What happened to me?"

"Calm down, you're in the infirmary and you're safe. You had a panic attack." Annabeth answered, putting a reassuring hand on her shoulder.

Eirene thought back to the events of earlier today. "Panic attack? Why was I panicking?" Surely nothing could scare her at this camp that she hadn't seen before.

"You were having a delayed shock."

"_Why_?"

Percy laughed. "No need to be so alarmed, it's completely normal. You were probably overwhelmed by the camp and didn't have enough time to soak it all in before you charged into it."

"And when your body was at its most relaxed point, you reacted." Annabeth finished.

Eirene looked out the window. She couldn't have been out long, could she? "It's still day time." She noted, hoping it meant she hadn't missed too much of the action.

"Oh, you weren't out for long. At most twenty minutes."

Eirene touched her temple and grimaced. She had a throbbing headache, and she felt horribly weak. Looking around she saw what she knew was ambrosia perched on the counter and picked up the liquid drink and the cubed squares. Before the alarm on Percy and Annabeth's face even registered to her she had already finished the first cube and was onto the second.

"Stop, for the love of Zeus, stop!" Annabeth yelled, grabbing the square and the tumbler out of Eirene's hand.

"Oh gods, oh gods, what are we going to do?" Percy was running his hands through his hair and looking expectantly at Annabeth whose jaw was still open and eyes filled with shock.

"What? Why? What's wrong?"

"We already gave you ambrosia; you aren't supposed to have anymore!"

Why not? She enjoyed the taste of Ambrosia very much, and often she would indulge in the load that Zeus would send her. The look of alarm of their faces still didn't make sense to her. Annabeth then did something very strange. She shifted off her seat and knelt down on the floor, facing Eirene as she took her hand in hers. Her voice was very soft and slow when she spoke.

"Eirene, do you know what Ambrosia is?"

"Yes, the food of the gods. It helps replenish demigods in times of low energy,"

She nodded evenly. "Yes, that is true. But it's also capable of literally burning demigods from the inside if ingested too much."

Finally, Eirene started to understand why they looked so worried. For the time being, she did too. "Are you trying to tell me that I'm going to die?"

"Yes. No! I mean, we have to get Chiron in here." Percy stood up and walked towards the door without Annabeth stopping him.

"But I always eat this much. And I don't feel weird."

This time Annabeth looked surprised and titled her head to the side. "You've eaten ambrosia before?"

"Yes," Eirene nodded. "Sometimes when I fight those monsters, I get very worn out. Then I miraculously see the food lying on the grass ahead of me, and I know it was gods sent. Often times I indulge in it." The moment she finished speaking, she knew it was the wrong thing to say. Annabeth face now once again looked alarmed, but also confused and a little bit intrigued. She could tell what she said interested Annabeth in a way only a child of Athena could.

Chiron walked in with Percy, concern shown on his frequently stoic face. "Eirene," He stepped towards her and gazed down. "Are you feeling alright?"

"Am I going to die?" was all she could ask. Annabeth stood up and leaned over to whisper into Chiron's ear.

"Have you ever seen it happen?" Annabeth asked, not moving her eyes from Eirene's face.

"Yes. It usually starts with rapid sweating and then blurry vision until their skin become so unbearable hot that the person themselves burst into flames."

Eirene's heart dropped. "_What_?'"

"But you said you've done this before, and you feel fine?" Annabeth countered.

"There's nothing wrong with me!" Every single eye in the room was plastered intently on her, and it made her was sprint. Why was everyone trying to freak her out? She felt fine and she had done this before. Maybe it had other effects for _different_ campers, but she wasn't _like_ other campers. She was different in a way that no one else was: She was impossible.

"She isn't showing any symptoms of rapid bursting-with-fire-ness." Percy scooted closer and moved his head from side to side. "Testing for blurry vision: Can you tell who I am?"

Eirene could see Percy's girlfriend rolling her eyes at his antics from the corner of her eyes; which were now rolling too.

"We cannot get too hopeful. She'll need to be kept under surveillance for a few hours." Chiron ignored the protesting expression on Eirene's face and turned to Annabeth. "Are you able to watch her?"

Annabeth scanned Eirene with interest. "Of course,"

It had been fifteen minutes since Annabeth was appointed Eirene's 'babysitter', and so Eirene didn't feel any hotter than usual, and her vision was still 20/20. Chiron had left and Percy returned to his activities shortly after. Feeling particularly bored, Eirene was relieved when Annabeth started a conversation.

"It's very interesting how you aren't showing any signs yet."

"Interesting?"

"Well, yes. I could say weird, but I'll go with interesting. Because a normal demigod would be dead by now, but you're not exactly normal are you?"

She considered lying, but what was the point? Annabeth would see right through it. "No, I'm not."

"Are you even a demigod?"

"Would you have let me live this long if you believed I was a monster?"

She chuckled, amused by the truth in the question. "Probably not, but…can I ask what exactly you are?"

Eirene stayed silent for a while, eventually choosing to ignore the question. "That guy…the one who carried me back here. What was his name?"

Annabeth paused for a moment, thinking. "Andrew Parker."

**Comments and reviews? I'd love if you review/comment, also please share!**


	10. Chapter 10

"He's kind of odd."

"He's a bit to himself, yes—"

"He didn't even want to tell me his name. And when I told him mine, he just said 'irrelevant' and went back to his book," Eirene hugged her legs; she didn't know if she was hurt or annoyed by his reaction, it just puzzled her. "Why is he so introverted?"

A sad look glazed over Annabeth's eyes, and she sighed. "It's a long story. He wasn't always like that; cold and drawn back and self-served, it was as series of events that led up to his newfound personality."

Even though she knew it futile to ask, she still wanted too. "What happened?"

"What exactly are you?" Annabeth countered.

Eirene smiled knowingly. So these were the ways of Athena's children, a secret for a secret. Even though Eirene _was_ curious about Andrew' past, she wasn't _that_ curious.

"Earlier in the Hermes cabin I heard the twins mention a guy named Dennis. But they talked about him like he died or something. What happened to him?"

"Dennis isn't dead, but we don't know where he is. Which is weird, because we keep tabs of every camper that leaves this camp; we usually always know where every demigod is, but we don't know where he is. And we know he isn't dead because our Hades demigods would be able to feel it."

"Maybe he's not a demigod anymore."

Annabeth furrowed her eye brows. "What?"

"You said you always track all demigods. Well, what if he's not a demigod anymore? Or never was?"

"That's not possible." Annabeth said, but she didn't sound sure. She sounded like she was convincing herself more than Eirene.

Eirene shrugged. "I suppose so, I was just thinking out loud."

But Annabeth seemed lost in another world and didn't hear her. She was thinking of what Eirene just said, trying to remember if there _was_ a way to become UN—demified. It sounded ridiculous, but the casualty in Eirene's voice made her consider it. But the part about not being a demigod was also ridiculous, but in a way made the smallest of sense. Dennis had never been claimed, and he'd never shown any sign of ADHD or a talent in reading Greek. He was only good in sport activities and lacked knowledge in Greek mythology. It sounded ridiculous, but it was a plausible explanation. Even though the camp did have a mist around it was known that humans occasionally came across it; Rachael Elizabeth Dare for one, and the pizza guy for another.

"What are you thinking about?" Eirene questioned.

"What you said about Dennis. It seems possible…impossible but possible. He may have not been a demigod at all."

Eirene nodded, remembering another fact. "I'm 100% certain he wasn't a demigod." Eirene said blankly. Annabeth gave her an odd stare. "The Kobalos, there was a Kobalos in the forest during monster hunting. I was speaking to it, and it said that a false Hermes kid took something from him last summer. I'm not one to believe in coincidences, and I don't think you are either."

Annabeth just stared at her, dumbfounded. Either because Eirene had figured out something Annabeth couldn't, or because Dennis had managed to spend a summer in Camp Half-blood before anyone noticed he wasn't a demigod, she didn't know.

"We have to find him. I don't know why he came here, but it worries me that a mortal is out there carrying around the secrets of the gods. We have to find him."

Then suddenly, the name that sounded familiar clicked with a face. She did know a Dennis; he had appeared to her in one of her most desperate time of need.

It was a years ago when she met him, and it was raining brutally on that day. Not only was it raining, but Eirene was running from what she believed were furies for the hundredth time. The ground was muddy and wet so she had slipped several times as was covered from head to toe in dirt and grind, her little dress no longer recognized as white. She had no strength to stop and fight, and even when she did fight they never seemed to come in contact with the furies. So she ran, and she fell, and she got up and ran again. But she had run miles without ambrosia and she was starting to feel lightheaded.

Just the second she stopped and paused for a breath, she heard someone yell, "Hey! Hey are you okay?"

She turned and saw a boy of average height with black hair beckoning her to come forward. He was inside what looked like to be an abandoned building and without even thinking whether it was a trap or not she rushed forward to take shelter and hide from the furies. He closed and locked the door as soon as she entered, and Eirene feared she'd made a huge mistake. But when he turned on the lights she saw the concern in his eyes and couldn't bring herself to believe that he would hurt her.

"Are you alright?" He scanned her clothing and skin. "Wait here, I'll get you a towel."

Eirene nodded and watched him walk away, taking in the warehouse before her. It was not in the best condition, but it did look like someone had been living here. There was a couch and a bed, and a mini fridge.

He returned with a cup of warm chocolate and wrapped a towel around her shoulders. "There's a shower down the hallway to the right, if you want to clean up."

After fifteen minutes, Eirene exited the shower feeling much more relaxed and cleaner. She glanced at her mud-covered dress and sighed, reluctant to put it back on until she saw another set of clothes right next to it. It was a clean pair of clothes, a grey hoodie and jeans. Trying them on she found that they were obviously sizes too big, but it was better than putting back on a dirty rag.

Once she exited the bathroom she saw him waiting outside, and gave him a sheepish smile. "Thank you for the clothing."

He nodded and then sighed. "I know they're too big but I don't have any girl clothes…" He reached over and took Eirene's former clothing in his hands. "Don't worry, I'll wash this and return it to you later."

She nodded, and then there was a two minute awkward silence.

"What's your name?"She finally asked.

"Dennis. Dennis Walker."

"I'm Eirene. It's nice to meet you."

They shook hands like strangers which caused Dennis to chuckle. "I'm sorry; it's just a bit weird that we're having a casual conversation after what you just went through."

Assuming he was talking about the furies, she nodded. "You could see them?"

"Yeah, I heard their screeches before I saw them. Do you have a weapon?"

Eirene gestured to the ring on her finger. "It's a morph tool."

"That's nifty. Why don't you sit and wait until the rain has calmed down?"

She shook her head, worry already overcoming her. "I can't stay long. The longer I stay, the more come."

"All demigods face that predicament. But still, it's pouring outside and you're obviously exhausted and probably hungry. You can take any leftovers you want from the fridge." He amenably displayed the fridge like it was a prize and opened it to reveal two half sandwiches, a can of Fanta, left over store-bought lasagna, and about two-tons of water. Though off to the corner, there was a bottle filled with cream-colored liquid that shone in the fridge light. Eirene grabbed at it and took a sandwich, thanking him silently.

**Comments and reviews? I'd love if you review/comment, also please share!**


	11. Chapter 11

"I know it's not much but…it'll keep the growling away."

Eirene smiled and kept the bottle aside—she'd take it with her when she leaves and save it for later—as she took a bite of the sandwich.

"So, tell me about yourself. Where are you from?"

Eirene had a tendency to stare at people and analyze their features. He had a square-shaped face and sharp cheek bones and extremely curly short brown hair. His eyes were a type of blue that you couldn't help staring at, and his lips were pink and chapped. A five o'clock shadow brushed his face. He wasn't skinny but more like a toned skinny, and he had multiple small scars all over his face and body. His eyes were what drew her in, they looked so trustworthy. But Eirene wasn't about to give away her life story to someone she'd just met, so instead she redirected the question.

"This place seems awfully convenient. How'd you get it?"

He seemed to get the message. "I acquired it through some...special services."

"And the monsters don't attack?"

"Well, no. This place is sealed off to any monsters and only mortals with the gift can see it. To others it's not even here."

"That's amazing."

He smiled, scooting closer to her and looking into her eyes. "Amazing enough for you to stay?"

Eirene immediately considered it. This was the safest safe house she'd heard off—completely monster proof. She could live here; she could stay here forever and never have to worry about any monster attacking her or any adults trying to ship her back off into the orphanage. She could finally live a simple, worry-free life. And a part of her wanted to say yes, but the other part knew she couldn't. It was all very fishy, she had scarcely known Dennis for twenty minutes and he was already offering for her to move in.

"Look, I know this seems really sudden but I know what you go through. Being a nomad—always moving around and never staying still for too long. Being a burden to your family, always fearing a monster will attack, having to deal with the stares of bystanders…I've been through it all before and that's why I'm giving you a way out." He put his arm around her shoulders and squeezed it tight. "Not to mention, it sometimes get lonely." Eirene felt slightly uncomfortable with his sudden friendliness, but she was too deep in thought to move. He had a point, escaping the real world to live in this asylum would be ideal for anyone who'd lived her life.

"I'm sorry, but could you please…?" She forcefully untangled herself from his arm, and she saw him blush. "I just need to think about this alone for a bit."

He nodded. "I'll give you some time."

And when he left Eirene didn't hesitant to stand up and leave, clutching the ambrosia to her chest as she quietly opened and closed the door.

Annabeth stared at Eirene for a very long time when she finished telling her story. She supposed it was because she was analyzing it her story for any unexplainable holes. Finally, she seemed to find one.

"You left your dress at this…safe house?"

"Yes."

"And you did not get it back?"

"Oh, I did get it back, but he did not give it to me."

She frowned. "Well then, who gave it to you?"

Eirene remembered quite well, it had been Hermes who had delivered it to her, days after she'd left the safe haven. She was finding it increasingly harder to run and fight with the dropping jeans and oversized jumper despite the perks of heat it gave. The one day when she was walking she was stopped by a middle-aged jogger with an athletic figure and fit with salt-and-pepper hair.

"Excuse me, young lady?"

She turned around, startled and poised for battle.

"Sorry to frighten you, but I believe this belongs to you?"

He then handed her a small boxed package with no return postal or any information on it. She wanted to tell the man he was mistaken, but then he pulled out his phone and began arguing with someone.

"Yes, yes, I know. Tell Ares to calm himself, his father asked me to deliver a package to his charge. I just gave it to her, Clary. Whoa, okay, okay! I was just testing the nickname out. Doesn't stick? No? Okay, well tell your father that his father; ergo Zeus, is more of a priority. Just kidding, not really, I'm hanging up now!"

Eirene's eyes bugged out and she found herself looking at the man more intently. It was then that she saw that he was wearing a pith helmet with sprouted wings, and winged shoes for that matter. The antenna on his cell phone had two entwined snakes that were moving simultaneously. It was Hermes: Messengers of the gods. The realization smacked her in the face, and she didn't know how to react. She had never met a god in person, she never thought herself deserving enough. But now here he was, delivering a package that…that Zeus had sent her?

He let out a tired sigh as he flipped his phone closed, and Eirene watched in amazing as it grew into a caduceus and found herself conversing with the snakes.

"Oh gosh, those clothes look like they're about swallowing you up."

"You think she could be hiding rats in those clothes? Hey girlie, got any rats on you?"

"George!" the female scolded.

"What? I'm hungry."

"Be quiet, you two." He turned and faced Eirene. "So long, child of the Styx river; and good luck."

In truth, Eirene was surprised she'd forgotten about the encounter until now. Annabeth was staring at her like she was a science experiment, which Eirene had somewhat gotten used to. She'd reframed from telling her about the part where Hermes called her child of the Styx river, seeing how that would probably cause more of an uproar than Matthew getting shot.

Which reminded her, Matthew was shot! "I almost forgot to ask, is Matthew doing okay? Is he terribly hurt?"

"Yes, yes, he's fine but—we have a silently bigger problem right now. The story you just told me… do you by any chance remember where you were when you saw Dennis? Any identifiable street signs?"

Eirene searched her mind for any ounce of familiarity. "I remember the name of the café he was nearby. Levain Bakery, they have these really thick cookies on their window panels. Why? What's going to happen to him?" Even though he had seemed a bit sketchy, he still had saved her and given her clean clothes and food to eat. She felt just a bit protective of him.

Annabeth shook her head, smiling softly. "Don't worry, Eirene. I need to go somewhere for a bit, will you wait for me?"

Eirene didn't like the tone she was using with her, it was the tone Annabeth often used when she was trying to calm her down; like she was speaking to a child she didn't want to panic. And of course, this made Eirene panic. "Don't lie to me, I'm not stupid. You're going to Chiron, aren't you?"

She looked slightly weary. "Yes, I am."

"I want to come with you."

"You can't, this is restricted council meeting."

Eirene quickly unfolded herself from her sheets and stood up, standing face-to-face with Annabeth. "I want. To come. With you."

And looking into her stormy gray eyes glaze over with regret and defeat, she knew she was in.

**Comments and reviews? I'd love if you review/comment, also please share!**


	12. Chapter 12

Minutes later, Annabeth, Chiron, Percy, Clarisse, Eirene, Dionysus and the Stoll brothers had gathered in the big house. On other circumstances the Stoll Brothers wouldn't be called to council meetings, but because of this particular occasion they were called. Chiron and Dionysus were seated, and everyone else was standing up; encircling them. Eirene felt a few curious glances at her but brushed them off and focused on the upcoming conversation.

But there was utter silence and even less movement until finally Clarisse spoke up.

"It's about Dennis, isn't?"

Annabeth nodded and the Stoll brothers perked up.

"Eirene here said that she'd met him before, while she was on the run." Annabeth gave Eirene a coaxing look.

Wanting to speak up before she was forced to, she stepped forward and nodded. "About a year ago, he was stationed in an abandon warehouse next to a bakery. He said something about the building being 'sealed off' so anything or anyone who wasn't a demigod couldn't see it."

"A sealed off building? I've never heard of the works." Connor said.

Dionysus grunted, rolling his eyes. "There are many places that are sealed off to mortals and monsters alike. For example: Camp Half-blood."

"Then someone should get to work renewing those seals; I can count of both my hands how many times we've been attacked or had a mortal intrude into our space; Rachel would be a good example."

Chiron seemed to be lost in a world of his own when Eirene glanced at him; he was staring very hard on a spot behind her. Finally their eyes met.

"What else did you two converse about?" He asked.

"Um, really casual stuff at first, food, sleeping, clothing, then it got deeper when I asked how he found such a building. I recall him saying he 'acquired it through some special services.' Then he asked me to stay."

"Stay? With him?" Percy asked.

"He said that he understood what it was like to be a nomad; to be a burden to others. And that he was giving me a way out. He also mentioned something about being lonely."

"I call bullshit on the lonely part. Dennis was just a big flirt." Travis snorted. Connor snickered, which made Eirene think of all the adventures Dennis must've have had with these two. She remembered how the cabinet went silent when his name was mentioned, and how fondly everyone remembered him. He was a hero among those sorts, but it seems in his absence he has become an anomaly. And that also makes Eirene think of the many others that may have crossed his path. Did he also offer them a way out? Say he was lonely?

Chiron cut him a curt glance. "Language, Travis."

But Percy seemed to be contemplating something. "I just have one question: Why is it important that we find him? We have hundreds other demigods that just seemed like they dropped off the face of the earth when they left camp. Why is he special?"

"Because he _isn't_ a demigod,"

All heads turned to Eirene, and she wondered if it was wrong for her to speak without Annabeth's lead. But no one seemed to be stopping her; they all just looked lost for words. The Stoll brothers looked outraged.

"What do you mean, he isn't a demigod? Of course he's a demigod! Everyone here is!" Connor seemed to yell. Eirene felt herself shrink, she understood why he was yelling at her; she had just inferred that a close friend of his was lying about their entire life; but felt small compared to his tall stature. Though, she needed to stop shrinking back when someone towered over her. Maybe in this instance, the only way Connor would believe her is if she stands her ground and tells him the truth.

"Earlier today during a game of monster hunting, a Kobalos said something to me. He asked if I could take him to the Hermes cabin, because a false camper had stolen something from him."

She let that sink in a bit, and saw facial expression change on their faces. But still, Travis insisted. "That still doesn't prove that it's him."

"No it doesn't, but the facts do." Clarisse countered. She cleared her throat and crossed her legs. "Never claimed; _everyone_ is claimed, thanks to Kelp Head over here. Not ADHD; can't read the Greek or Latin language; Never showing talent in anything other than sports, and he was never issued a satyr. _Everyone_ is issued a satyr."

"But…That's…" The Stoll brothers struggled for words, but never seemed to find any. Not only were they rendered speechless, but Eirene knew they were being convinced.

"So you're telling me," Percy started, ruffling his hair frustratingly. "That Dennis is out there with the secrets of Camp Half-blood doing Zeus knows what with some stolen Kobalos treasure?" He turned to Chiron, "We have to stop him."

"We don't know that he's doing anything," Connor protested, still defensive. Clarisse yelled out a long, irritated sigh and stood up. She walked across the room to where Connor stood and grabbed a handful of his shirt.

"Look here, messenger boy. We know that you and Walker used to be buddy-buddy back in the old days, but you're going to have to stop being so thick and realize that you were just collateral damage in the way of what he wanted. And you," She turned to Travis and pointed a finger accusingly. "Not everyone who steals with you and plays with you is your friend. I'd think with past experiences, you'd both know that by now."

"Clarisse," Annabeth warned. Percy gave Annabeth a wary look, one Eirene could've sworn was of jealously, but it vanished as soon as it had appeared. Clarisse let go of Connor's shirt and stepped back, returning to her seat. The air was tense with past memories of betrayal and darker days, and Eirene knew exactly what they were all thinking. _Luke Castellan: The fallen hero_.

"Eirene,"

Her head shot up to see that it was Chiron who addressed her. Yanking on her shirt absentmindedly, she answered. "Yes, sir?"

"We know that you are only hours new to this camp and we are abundantly grateful of the valuable information you have provided us today. It would be a crime to ask for anymore but I'm afraid we must do so."

"Thank you sir, but it really is no trouble. I'd be…I'd be honoured to help." They had already done so much for her, how could she refuse? Taking her into this camp and giving her a home was enough for Eirene to be eternally grateful, she'd help them with anything.

Chiron smiled, obviously pleased. "There will be a quest issued for the capture and return of Dennis Walker. Your participation is mandatory for such a thing. In fact…I'd like it very much if you were to lead the quest."

**Comments and reviews? I'd love if you review/comment, also please share!**


	13. Chapter 13

"Chiron!" Clarisse protested. "I was promised the next quest. It is not good for a child of Ares to go long without war."

"Don't we all know that," Percy coughed.

"Can't we just send furies after the little brat?" Dionysus suggested, causing several people to look at him funny.

Eirene was lost for words. She didn't know how to respond to such a request. In fact she was flattered that he'd ask of something so big from her, but she felt like she could never take on such a role. She's just arrived; she hasn't trained or learned any of the formalities well enough to be able to venture on a quest.

"Me? Lead the quest? I…I don't know what to say…" She swallowed. "I don't think I'm prepared enough to do so…I haven't been trained—"

"Training? You don't need training! If Sam wasn't exaggerating about your fighting skills I'll say you'll do just fine leading a quest. Plus, you're the only one whose recently seen Dennis."

Eirene couldn't deny what he was saying, but it still felt odd to just wonder into a camp and be handed a quest so quickly. And she didn't really like the daggers Clarisse was giving her either.

"Perhaps Samantha was exaggerating…"

"Nonsense! Don't let Clarisse intimidate you. You can take her down!" Percy encouraged, giving Clarisse the stink eye and a smirk of rivalry.

"This one can fight? Ha! I don't believe it!"

"You're being erratically rude, Clarisse."

"No, no, Annabeth. Leave her. If she doesn't believe Eirene can fight then this can be settled easily through a small battle in the arena." Chiron suggested much to Eirene's demise. A battle against Clarisse in the arena? Surely he wasn't trying to sentence her to death?

"Don't you think you're going too far?" Connor asked.

"Yeah, the poor girls just got here and you're already unleashing the wrath of Clarisse on her." Travis agreed. But Chiron didn't seem wavered by their opinion, instead he stood his ground.

A satisfied smirk grew on her face. "Excellent. The terms of the battle are as followed: Whoever knocks the other down first wins. Scars equal extra points," She held up a hand at Annabeth's protest and locked eyes with Eirene. "Find your sword and meet me at the arena tomorrow morning at dawn. Then we'll see who really deserves to lead this quest."

Not even blinking, Eirene agreed. "As you wish,"

She knew that arguing with Clarisse would just make her more determined to fight her, so why not accept the offer and get it over with? Eirene didn't mind if she led the quest or if Clarisse led the quest, whatever would cause the drama to deflate. Clarisse brought her shades out and slipped them back on, and then proceeded to exit the room. Almost immediately after she'd left, Annabeth turned to Percy.

"Can't you guys leave your pettish rivalry at bay for once?"

He seemed like he was about to make a sarcastic joke, but after he saw the plea in her eyes he instead pulled her close and rubbed her shoulder. "I'm sorry; I got a bit carried away."

She sighed but her eyes had softened. Instead she directed her fury at Chiron. "Why didn't you stop her?"

He simply smiled. "I see nothing wrong with a little duel. In fact, I myself am curious as the whether the rumors are true." His gaze shifted to Eirene. "Whether or whether not you are as just a fighter as they say,"

"I really don't think Samantha qualifies as 'they'. It's just one person, who knows if she can even take a punch?" Travis opposed, yawning as he leaned against the railing. "It doesn't matter anyways, we're gonna go back to our cabins if that's okay with you, boss."

Dionysus brightened up. "Well of course you can return to your cabins." He turned to Percy. "See? That's how a proper camper addresses his superior, not resulting to nicknames like 'wine dude' or 'Mr. D'."

"Actually, we were talking to Chiron," Connor laughed. "But we respect you too, Wine dude."

"Not really," Travis muttered, turning to Eirene. "We'll see you back at the cabin, though I'd suggest you attend sword fighting classes with Percy."

And with that, they were gone; Leaving Dionysus cursing their children to Hades for eternities. Eirene felt like a huge weight had been thrown unto her shoulders; how had she gotten herself into this mess? She turned to Annabeth and bowed. "I'm sorry."

She blinked, clearly confused. "For what?"

Eirene straightened up and twirled her shirt between her fingers. "For demanding that you take me with you; I now see you were trying to protect me from this…Clarisse."

"Don't beat yourself up over it. Chiron would have declared you leader of the quest anyways and Clarisse would've still declared war over you. It was inevitable."

Eirene looked at the door and thought of the three who'd just left. "They don't like me very much, do they? They kept referring to me as if I wasn't here."

"Eh, Clarisse doesn't really get along with anyone other than Chris. Speaking of which, I haven't seen him this summer."

"He said he was going to be home half the summer, something about his family."

Eirene wasn't really listening to their rambling but was thinking of what tomorrow would wait. She had just arrived to this camp though she was sure everyone knew who she was—and if they didn't—they would learn tomorrow when she defeated Clarisse. Even though it was her policy to be humble, she couldn't deny that her fighting skills were god-given, because they were. She had never trained a day in her life but managed to save herself from the attack of all those monsters over the years. And even if Clarisse's sword fighting skills were up to beat, she couldn't land a scratch on Eirene. The girl's skin was immune to any tears or bruises, no matter how many times she'd been bitten by a snake or scratched by a tree branch, a mark had never appeared; it was as if everything simply bounced off her skin when in contact. It was one of the many advantages of her curse.

But was it an advantage, really? Never being able to be injured, or killed. Some would definitely see it as a blessing but in Eirene's case many times it had been a curse. She couldn't count on her fingers how many times she'd wished she could feel pain or see a gash on her skin where she'd been hit. It—it… it would've proved that she was alive, that she could feel. _Idiot, you're thinking about it again. _But she couldn't help it; the feeling often crashes over her at random times. While Eirene was growing up on the run, she had tried to commit suicide several times. At some point she probably tried to kill herself once everyday—just to see if it would work. Most of the time it was fueled by pure boredom and curiosity, but a few times she'd feel an overwhelming pang of depression. Always running, always being attacked, believing she was a burden to everyone she's ever met, that only is enough to drive someone into insanity. But it was the monsters that were the final straw.

Every time they attacked her, every time they tried to hurt her, their assaults would just bounce off of her like her skin was made of cellophane wrap. And it was a blessing at first but then it became unbearable. What was the point of them constantly coming, if they knew she could never be hurt? What was the point of all this running if they couldn't hurt her? She began to question everything she'd ever known, and she began to question herself. _What kind of human being doesn't feel pain? Isn't pain an experience of being alive? Isn't pain assurance that you're alive? _So for a while, she fell into a state of nihilism. And even in that state, she still wanted to believe; to believe that she was more than just an experiment Zeus had created, but that she was alive. So she would try and try and try over and over and over again to feel pain; Throwing herself off a building, slashing her wrists with a knife, anything that could ease the emotional pan by causing physical pain.

It seems quite silly now that she thinks back on it, her younger self seemed to not understand what being the child of the Styx river meant and how when you're born with something, you have to learn to live with it.

"Eirene? Eirene?"

She slowly faded back into reality and turned to the calling voice. "Yes?"

Annabeth looked slightly concerned by her spacing out. "Percy is available for sword fighting lessons, if you're worried about that."

"Oh no," She smiled. "I am not worried about anything."

**Comments and reviews? I'd love if you review/comment, also please share!**


	14. Chapter 14

Hours later, it was time for the bonfire. Sam had caught Eirene the moment she had walked out of the big house and had questioned her till no end. But Eirene had told her nothing about Dennis, and just mentioned the parts where she over indulged on ambrosia.

"Wow, really? And you're still alive?" Sam had taken her arm and hooked it around Eirene's own, sending warm tingling through her. _A friend_, Eirene thought softly. _A real friend._

Sam had talked up a storm, telling her of how everyone had actually been very worried about her, with the scare of Matthew and all people thought there might a curse or something on the camp. Eirene assured her that she was fine, that Annabeth had said it was just a delayed shock. She then asked about how Matthew was, knowing it was all Sam really wanted to talk about.

"Oh he's fine now," She beamed. "April patched him up perfectly. She's an Apollo camper."

"That's good. Did they ever figure out what injured him?" Even though she was nervous for the answer, she made sure it didn't show in her face. She hadn't meant to hurt Matthew, he had just startled her and she'd reacted instinctively.

"They said that judging from the way it was shot, it was someone with the same archery skills as one of the hunters of Artemis. Some are speculating that it was them, since they do have preregistered dislike for Matthew."

Eirene had read and learned a lot about the hunters of Artemis when she was on the run, mainly because she had always admired them and dreamed to become one of them. They were elegant, immortal, and a family. They could fight and kill like no one else, and she wanted the safety of mind. She didn't mind swearing off boys or love, it was something she assumed would never come her way, especially with her curse. What person could she love, that she could not kiss?

She had heard that they seemed to naturally have a grudge against the male gender once they accepted the pledge. But she had never thought it was strong enough for people to think they'd openly attack one they didn't like. Was it not a shame, and did they not feel insulted at the accusation?

"I imagine that they don't like that, being accused."

Sam shook her head, her ponytail swaying as she readjusting her quiver. "They certainly aren't. They said it was a great dishonor and insult to Artemis for us to assume that, and that they were going on a silent strike until we apologized. But I'm not going to, they hurt someone and they should admit it."

Eirene cringed. "Please don't say that, I really do think you should. In fact, I think _I_ will."

"No, Rinnie! Why should you?"

"Samantha, you're fourteen, not eight. Not giving people childish nicknames." A female's voice chimed. Both girls turned around to see Heather walking towards them, her hair falling from its bun and tumbling around her face. She was carrying a bow and was covered in sweat from all the fighting she'd been doing but didn't look flustered in anyway.

"I was just testing it out…No?" She looked up at Eirene, who smiled apologetically. She didn't want to upset Sam, but she'd rather be called Eirene than 'Rinnie'.

"But I agree with Eirene, I think we should all apologize. Athena and Artemis happen to be good friends, and I'm good friends with the hunters. It's ridiculous for us to think they would disgrace their goddess like that."

Sam rolled her eyes. "You only want to kiss up to them so they'll let you join their little clique."

Heather's form went rigid, and she brought her hand to her temple. "Please do not call the hunter's of Artemis a 'clique' or the goddess herself might come down and strike you. And despite my advocating for women's rights, I really don't want to become a hunter. The terms are too harsh, and I don't want to live forever. There is only misery in immortality."

"There is misery without immortality." Eirene snapped despite herself. She looked down to her feet in embarrassment when she saw their expression. "Sorry," she whispered. Heather glanced at her curiously, and then put her attention back on Sam.

"They hunter's didn't do it, I'm sure of it. And it would do you well to apologize to them, Samantha. Now come along, we'll be late for the bonfire."

Sam looked behind Heather, confused. "Where's Damien?"

Heather's eyebrow twitched. "How should I know? His whereabouts are _none of my concern._" She stomped forward quickly and assuredly without the girls, leaving them to follow behind.

"So tell me, what's this bonfire?"

"It's just like a big feast. We eat, we sing, and we laugh around a lit bonfire that changes colour and height depending on how the mood is around it. It's very fun really, and sometimes Chiron announces quests and who will be going on a quest." Sam told her.

Eirene remembered the conversation she had had with the centaur earlier, and Clarisse's threat looming over her head. "Tell me, Heather," She raised her voice so the girl could hear her. "What exactly does a quest consist of?"

"It usually consists of three people. Anything more is a bad number, whenever a group of four or five has gone, only three have returned."

"Why?"

Heather stopped and turned around. "Three is a lucky number, a safe number for the gods. It's always a golden trio, Eirene. Never a group."

"Okay…" She understood, but it still didn't sit right with her. On a quest to find Dennis, she'd want as many people as she could to find him. It was basically a manhunt. "But what about other things, like a deadline? Is there ever a deadline? Are you given weapons?"

Sam stopped walking and once again, Heather turned around to give Eirene a curious look. "Has Chiron assigned you a quest, child of Hermes?"

She stuttered, wondering if it was right to tell anyone. Clarisse would surely tell all her cabin mates, the news would've reached the entire camp by tomorrow. So she decided to tell them the truth. "Yes, yes he has."

Immediately, Sam went doe-eyed. She looked at Eirene with nothing but admiration, while Heather glared at her with admiration and envy. "In that case, yes, you are given weapons. And yes, most times there is a deadline. But it depends on the quest."

"You're so lucky you've gotten a quest on just your first day! But…isn't it a bit strange? Campers who have been here for years have yet to get a quest, but you Eirene; you've only been here for a day and managed to be assigned one." There was question in Sam's voice; she wanted Eirene to tell her what the quest was about. But she wasn't sure she could tell Sam the details, it seemed much more private than just the idea of a quest.

Heather agreed with Sam, but knew it was useless to press for an answer. She would find out soon enough. "Chiron will announce the quest at bonfire; it's almost six-thirty so we have to get going."

The girl continued their walk towards the dining pavilion, Heather giving Eirene more information on quests.

"They are extremely difficult; most times campers come back with permanent scars, or don't come back at all: it's the real world at there, monsters and all, and unfortunately most are not prepared for a life without Chiron coaching them on or the children of Apollo healing their—"

She stopped suddenly, her walking cut off. She was staring at a figure ahead, two figures, which seemed to be leaning against a tree. One figure had pixie short blonde hair, while the other had neck-length black hair, and although they weren't kissing it looked like they were about to. Heather's fist clenched and she lunged at Sam's quiver, taking several arrows and positioning them in her bow.

The blonde figure inched slightly forward, and Heather shot at her.

**Author's note: A small number of you may be a bit confused, and yes I did re-upload the chapter today, so what you may have read before my re-upload on Saturday was a mistake in order. Please** **Comment and review? I'd love if you review/comment, also please share!**


	15. Chapter 15

The arrow landed right besides the girl's head, and the couple jumped away from each other to see who had fired the arrow. Eirene could now clearly see the figures were Damien and a strange blonde female. The female yelped when she saw Heather and moved to hide behind Damien.

"I see you're done tending to Matthew, April!" Heather shot again. This time, the arrow snagged on Damien's shirt and pinned him against the tree. "And you've moved on to tend Damien's broken lips."

April stood her ground, cupping her hands around her lips to yell. "You don't own him!"

Heather shot again, catching April's shorts. The girl yelped once again, and seemed to have started crying. "I'm sorry! Please don't hurt me!"

"Is that you, _minha pequena_ vixen?" Damien teased, his Brazilian accent shining through. "Ah, how you have grown so jealous in my absence. Don't worry, April was only a distraction."

"_You were using me_?" The blonde sniffed.

Heather finally lowered her bow and arrow, laughing pitifully. "Of course he was using you, that's all he ever does." Eirene noticed that she sounded slightly hurt, even though she was trying to mask. She had never had a relationship or had to deal with affection for another, but she could tell no matter how much Heather tried to deny it, she had feelings for Damien.

"Sam, Eirene." She snapped. Both girls stood on attention and answered at the same time.

"Yes?"

"Yeah?"

She started walking off in the same direction she had started: towards the pavilion. "Let's go."

Damien called after her, but Heather ignored him and kept walking on. He struggled against the arrow and pulled it free, chasing after Heather with fervent passion. The child of Athena barely registered him but did attempt to throw a punch at him when he touched her.

He held her by her wrist. "_Sinto muito; por favor_, just listen to me, Knightly."

"Are you kidding me?" she practically screamed, causing him to let go of her. "I am done listening to you, Grey. I am a child of Athena, and I'll be damned if a boy makes me forget that." She paused, breathing heavily. She added as an afterthought, "Maybe I will become a hunter after all." Her voice was a fierce whisper, threatening in its words. Eirene felt chills when she looked at her expression and guilt when she looked at Damien. He didn't seem like the type capable of regret or hurt, but his face showed otherwise.

"Come on Eirene, when they get like this it's better to leave them alone to go at it." Sam took her Eirene's arm and led her away from the two bickering lovers, towards the already lively pavilion brewing ahead.

Eirene was struck by the smell of burning food, but wasn't appalling. It smelled divine, and she saw that it was coming from the growing fire in the middle of the lunch hall. She saw rows after rows of rectangular white tables filled with campers laughing and talking amongst themselves. She saw another table filled with all different kinds of foods that felt like an assault on her nose. It all smelled delicious, and Eirene wanted to rush to the front of the line and experience it all without suspension. She saw Clarisse with the children of Ares, making the most of an uproar and spilling gallons of root beer on each other. The Stoll brothers seated with the children of Hermes, eating each other's food when they weren't looking and starting petty food fights. Percy seated with Annabeth, his hand laced through hers, his drink constantly changing to different shades of blue. Eirene also saw other tables for other gods and tried to identify them all. There was a table filled yellow-haired individuals who seemed to shine like the sun and would spout random clips of poetry, which she suspected was Apollo.

Another who looked tough, but not as tough as Ares. They were all tan-skinned individuals; some holding metal made swords and others forging weapons right at the table. _Hephaestus,_ she thought. There was a table that seemed to glow silver in the night, a table filled completely with females who were not speaking to anyone but themselves, which Eirene guessed were the Hunters of Artemis. She saw another table with very skinny and delicate looking people, some with flowers woven through their hair who were only eating fruits and vegetables, an obvious pick for children of Demeter. Another table had kids who were either sharpening their knives or reading a book, which Eirene assumed was Annabeth and Heather's table of Athena. And she saw Dionysus seated at a table with people who acted quite strange, red eyes and droopy stands, whose cups were filled with grape soda and bodies kept falling asleep. She saw females and a few males who weren't even eating, but staring at a reflection of themselves or reading a magazine; Except for one male, who was playing the guitar.

Eirene couldn't help but smile and think: _This is my home._

"You know, Chiron used to have a rule where you could only sit with your cabin members, but he's made an exception for those who only have one or two people at their table, like Hades or Poseidon." Sam pointed out. Eirene caught sight of those tables, and saw one boy wearing very dark clothing and had a sort of shadow looming over him. _Nico,_ the memory of Percy told her. _Nico di Angelo_. She felt sorry for him, and instantly wanted to sit at his table.

Sam directed her towards the table with food, and Eirene immediately stacked her plate with one of everything. She got a few weird looks from those next to her but she didn't care. She had never had a proper meal, so tonight she'd pig out. She started walking towards the Hermes table but Sam stopped her with a jerk of her shirt.

"You're supposed to give half for a sacrifice to the gods," She gestured to the fire. "They like the smell."

Upset she had to give up half of her plate she did so willingly, wanting to let the gods know she was eternally grateful for their help guarding her all these years.

"Hey hey, Eirene, come sit with us!" Sam eagerly pulled her towards the Apollo table and squeezed her in with all the other campers. Eirene smiled at them, staring at their heads of yellow hair. Sam seemed to be the only one with dark hair, and Eirene put it down to her Asian heritage.

"H-hello," She greeted the other campers, who responded positively. One even turned to her direction and started spewing poetry.

"Hey there, you with the yellow hair

And skin not so fair,

Your eyes are as green as grass,

Which I use to wipe my—"

"Roman!" Sam scolded. She looked at Eirene remorsefully, who was smiling a bit. It was bad poetry, Eirene admitted, but it did make you laugh.

"Sorry, Roman is known to specialize in dirty poetry. It's funny sometimes, but not all the time." She said the last part with a glare in his direction, in which she grinned to.

"No, really, it's okay. I've always been interested in poetry." She lied, trying to simply make polite conversation.

Another girl with a braid laughed. "Not his poetry, trust me." Her eyes were the colour of honey. "My names Amber, nice to meet you."

There was a sudden clatter of a plate that sounded like it breaking, and Eirene heard the shriek of a girl yelling 'get it off, get it off!' approaching and coming closer and closer. She turned around just as the girl knocked into her, shoving Eirene off the table and onto the floor.

The girl had bright red hair which was lit even brighter with the crown of fire on her head. She was scooting away from the Hephaestus table and a boy who was yelling 'sorry' and trying to put out the fire.

"Keep away! You'll only make it worse, Leo!"

A sudden wave of water fell on the girl and the fire was put out, leaving both her and Eirene soaked. Percy emerged in her vision with a shocked expression.

"Is everyone okay?" Percy asked, bending down to Eirene's level. "Oh gods, Eirene; I'm sorry." He held out a hand for her to take, which she rejected by standing up on her own.

"It's," She drained the water from her hair. "Fine, thanks."

"I didn't see you there; I just saw Ashley with her hair on fire. Which brings me to ask, what happened?" He turned to the Hephaestus table, staring specifically at Leo.

"Hey, don't look at me! Okay, yeah, you should. I'm sorry, she asked me to reheat her drink and I guess her hair was in close proximity…?" His stature and demeanor was that of someone who was sorry, but also thought it was a bit funny. Eirene had only seen Leo through Percy's memories, and she had a predisposed likeness towards him. He was a nice kid who had a surprisingly good sense of humor.

Percy sighed, turning his attention back to Ashley. "You're sure you're alright?"

She nodded, flipping her hair indignantly. She turned towards the crowd of onlookers. "Carry on, nothing to see here!" She turned back to Percy, giving him the once-over. "Hey can't you like, absorb the water out of me? You can control water, right?"

He looked a bit annoyed. "Yeah sure, I can boil water to the point of evaporation. But I don't think you'll like me to try it on you."

Eirene found herself giggling a bit at the girl's expression of horror, and Percy smiled at her.

"Just be a little more careful next time." He turned around and returned to his table with Annabeth, and resumed talking like nothing had ever happened.

**Comments and reviews? I'd love if you review/comment, also please share!**


	16. Chapter 16

Ashley turned to Eirene. "Sorry for, you know, bumping into you."

Eirene smiled sheepishly and nodded, indicating that it was fine. The girl returned to her table and Eirene returned to hers with a heavy sigh.

"This is actually kind of alarming…" Amber said.

Eirene turned to her. "How so?"

"Well, that's the third thing that's happened today, you know? First Matthew, then you fainting, and now Ashley getting barbecued; are the gods angry with us? Did we do something wrong?"

Eirene felt her lips go dry. It was true, a lot of things had happened today, her first day in camp. She wondered if it had anything to do with her, but she knew that it did. Even when she was little her presence usually caused trouble to erupt around her. She had assumed it was that way for every demigod, but with the events of today she wondered if her presence caused pained to _everyone_, not just mortals.

_It could just be coincidence._ She told herself. _Stop trying to be so depressing and enjoy yourself for once! _She forced herself to pick up her food and eat, ignoring the feeling of guilt in her stomach.

"Amber, look to yonder!

Things are not so somber

And as I sit here and flex,

I ask, join me in the corner for some—"

"Roman!" They all said in union, then busted out with laughter. _I really hope,_ Eirene thought, _that things remain like this; for once, for things to remain peaceful._

It felt like the next morning came without warning, and Eirene was having a hard time getting up. She felt hands shoving her and urging her to awake, but her body wasn't responding. It had been so long since she'd slept without disturbance. It felt much too good and she didn't want it to end.

"You really do have to wake up, it's almost dawn and if Clarisse doesn't see you then she'll call it a forfeit and demand to lead the quest."

_And wouldn't it be better if she did_. Eirene thought as she sat up, "I…." and then collapsed back on the bed, fast asleep.

Connor shoved her once more, now aggravated. "Oi! What's wrong with you?"

Eirene grunted, rubbing the sleeping out of her eyes and sitting up. She yawned profusely. "I'm…sorry. I just…have a hard time, waking up…is all," More yawning. "I'm not very used to sleeping a full night."

That blew out the slightly lit flame of fury as Connor felt his eyes begin to soften. "I'm sorry. But to be honest no one else can lead this quest but you. You're the only person who's seen Dennis and therefore knows where he might be."

Eirene sighed, in a way he was right. Clarisse was fueled by arrogance and pride and would probably lead the quest with a blind eye. Eirene wasn't even sure if any of them knew what he looked like. He could have very well changed his appearance in the years he's been gone. But Connor was right, she had to get up and stay true to her challenge with Clarisse; she was sure if she didn't the Ares camper would come in and get her herself.

After a quick ten minutes spent freshening up and wearing her clothes, Eirene was led by Connor down to the arena.

"So you're sure you don't want any armor?"

It was the third time he had asked, and Eirene was starting to get a little bit annoyed though she knew he was just trying to look out for her. She was sure all the other campers would also choose armor, mainly because the chance of getting cut is very high when fighting Clarisse. But she knew she wouldn't need it, she wasn't planning on getting hit. And even if she did, nothing would happen.

"I just think what the point of armor in here if there's none out there?"

His shoulders slumped, though he seemed amused. "You're…you're impossible. Why are you so confident anyways?"

Eirene just looked and smiled; some secrets were better kept hidden. "Where is Travis anyways?"

"He's not really a morning person."

"Oh, and you are?"

He only looked at her from the corner of his eyes. "Today I am."

She didn't know what that meant, and she didn't have time to dwell on it before she was almost thrown to the ground by the force of the booming voice before her.

"You're late!" Clarisse growled her sword already in hand and armor positioned. "I'd usually call forfeit and lead the quest myself, but I'm almost insulted that you came here naked."

Eirene felt her cheeks flush for a mere second as she considered her words. "But I'm not naked."

Clarisse swung her sword at her and Eirene skipped out of the way just in time.

"No armor? Are you really that arrogant?" Her voice rose in an alarming manner, and Eirene had to force herself to stand straight without shaking. She couldn't even look the girl in the eyes, it seemed like there was a fire that burned there constantly.

Connor found himself getting suddenly annoyed; he released the tongue he'd been biting down. "That's exactly like the pot calling the kettle black. Your pride and arrogance made you pick a fight with a new and inexperienced camper just because you want to taste blood. This right now just proves that you'd be horrible to lead the quest: Someone who thinks with their sword and not their brain would just get everyone killed."

He was right; of course he was right, Eirene knew it. But he wasn't supposed to say it. Even Eirene who was had just arrived to this camp knew that Clarisse was the type of girl you didn't questioned or oppose. If you did, well you were just asking for retribution.

But before Clarisse reattributed, Eirene interfered. "Um, I think I'd be best if we'd just duel and get this thing over with."

Clarisse, looking slightly annoyed, swung her sword towards Eirene. "Continue to take things so lightly; it will be even more satisfying when I beat you."

As they entered the Arena, Eirene saw that they were not the only ones present. It seemed the word had spread to a few campers and they had also gotten up early to watch the battle between them. Eirene recognized Samantha in the crowd who waved when she saw her, though she looked rather worried. Heather was there alongside Damien, who gave Eirene a quick wiggle of his fingers and a wink. She still…she still got bad vibes around him. He somewhat scared her, she felt an air around him that was close to a muffled evil. It could be due to the fact that he was both death and water, a power that she felt radiate from him so abundantly. Percy and Annabeth were there, along with Chiron and Dionysus. All sitting upon the broken aisles of the arena, watching. The pressure that had never showed itself before now was here. And Eirene felt it weighing her to the ground.

**Comments and reviews? I'd love if you review/comment, also please share!**


	17. Chapter 17

Her head started getting a bit lightheaded and her eyesight blurred, but she could see clear enough to make out a figure walking down from the stands towards them. As he got closer, she could see his features even clearer. He was of average height and had blonde hair matched with both his ears were pierced with what seemed like a gage, and he had a sleeve of tattoos going down his right arm. To be honest, Eirene was too distracted by the colourful and intricate detail on his arm to pay any real attention to his features, and when she finally did, she was drawn back from his beauty. She had never seen a more attractive looking male, and was kind of intimidated by him. His salient blue eyes seemed to be that of a god's, and for a moment Eirene believed he was.

He stopped right in front of her and raked her up and down for a moment, before turning to Clarisse.

"I don't think you should fight her."

She narrowed her eyes. "Why does your opinion matter to me?"

He just shrugged. "It doesn't. I'm just trying to say that fighting someone just on their second day of camp seems like bullying."

"Bullying?" She laughed. "This is not bullying. This is initiation. This is proving that you're worthy of leading a quest."

His eyes drifted to Eirene for another second, and she noticed his gaze seemed very uninterested, as if he was stuck in class on a Tuesday afternoon.

"I don't think you should fight her."

Okay, Eirene had had enough. Currently all she wanted to do was get this fight over with. She was confident she would win, but not because she thought her sword fighting skills were better than Clarisse, which she sure they weren't. Clarisse had been at camp half-blood for years training, and she is much older than Eirene; but because Eirene couldn't get hurt even if she wanted to.

"It is fine really, I don't mind fighting her. I…I want to prove myself,"

"Beat it, pretty boy. Newbie wants to get her ass kicked."

His eyes cut to Clarisse, annoyance in them. "My name isn't pretty boy, it's Daniel. And I really don't think you need to fight her." He said it more slowly this time, his eyes more intense when he looked at Clarisse. Eirene noticed that her expression softened and her eyes glossed over for a second, before snapping back to reality. Her eyes were even angrier than ever, and she moved until she was face-to-face with Daniel.

"I should skewer you right now for trying to charmspeak me." She hissed.

He smiled and turned to Eirene. "Good luck," Then curtly walked away.

She stared after him. He was an odd one, he had used his energy to come over and try to break up the fight, but had executed it in a way that seemed like he was forced or asked by someone to come over their way. And he had done…what on Clarisse? Whatever it was, it seemed to not have worked and possibly just escalated her anger. She turned her back to Eirene and faced Chiron, telling him something she could decipher. Chiron nodded, exiting the arena as he galloped away.

A few minutes later, a horn-like sound exploded from the speakers, quieting the entire arena before Chiron's voice was heard.

"For the first time in years, a battle in the arena is currently undergo. Counselors and campers alike, if you do not wish to miss such an event, I would advise you to hurry to the arena as quickly as possible."

_Oh. So that was what she told him to do._ Eirene felt almost embarrassed; surely it was a big deal that this was the first fight in the arena in years, and people would be expecting so much. But a nervous feeling overcame her for another reason, so many eyes, watching her; expecting her to fail, expecting her to come out with scratches and broken limbs and bruises. What would they say, what would they think, when she came out with none? When the sword grazed her skin, but nothing came of it? _What would they think? _

They circled each other; Clarisse crouched down so low Eirene was bracing herself for the pounce. Chiron was in the Arena, standing right by the exit gate. The crowd was chanting a name; some even had banners they were holding up. And they all said the same thing: _Clarisse la rue for the win! Kick Eirene's tiny shins!_

_My shins aren't _that _tiny._ Eirene thought, completely missing the point. She wasn't too concerned with her lack of supporters as she saw little Samantha sitting in the crowd, waving at her. That was even motivation to give her the courage to strike first.

Clarisse was taken aback—as she probably thought she would strike first—but dodged Eirene's attack and quickly countered. She stabbed her sword towards Eirene who ducked and moved back. _Just keep dodging; just make sure she doesn't hit you._

Clarisse charged forward and clashed her sword with Eirene's, and they were suddenly locked in an intense battle. Their swords clashed back and forth, Clarisse's aiming for attack and Eirene's to block and defend. Their swords clashed again, and Clarisse egged Eirene on.

"Just dodging? Come on, attack me. Try to hit me."

Eirene just shook her head, causing Clarisse to use her feet to trip Eirene, who was now lying flat on her back, her hair spiraled across her face. She couldn't see much, but managed to hear Clarisse lifting her sword and tumbled out of the way. She stood up feet away from her, senses heightened. There were boos in the crowd and some yelling that she was a coward, but Eirene didn't care. Better they think her a coward than think her a freak.

Once again the daughter of Ares charged forward, and Eirene waited until she was almost stabbed to flip over, landing right behind her. Which turned out to be the worst move, because Eirene didn't have enough time to run away before Clarisse turned around and jabbed her with the side of her sword, right on her arm. Eirene was knocked to the ground, and Clarisse stood over her, seemingly triumphant before noticing that Eirene was nothing past irritated. She was too invested in her shock to quickly strike again, which gave Eirene the chance.

Clarisse dodged her counter attack, but was still confused and staring at Eirene. "You…no, maybe I just didn't hit you hard enough." She reasoned out loud, and Eirene struck again, still missing. Anger was suddenly filling her, anger than appeared when Clarisse was able to knock her down with her sword. _Stupid, stupid, stupid, you weren't supposed to let her hit you! Now she's suspicious…you should've been scarred with that hit. _

But it was too late to dwell on that, she had hit her and Eirene had to make sure it never happened again. She hoped she could get out of this fight by just tiring Clarisse down with dodges, but changed her tactics and decides she'd have to scar Clarisse in order to walk away from this victorious. She lunged again, this time knocking Clarisse down and causing the crowd to go in uproar. Bringing down her sword, she was stopped short when Clarisse also managed to knock her down, and both girls were locked in an arm-to-arm battle. They rolled around in circles struggling with each other, Clarisse punching and kneeing Eirene for the effect of injury. But Eirene felt no pain, and she head butted Clarisse with such fierceness that it knocked the brunette on her bum.

Eirene grabbed both swords and quickly pinned Clarisse down by the shoulder of her shirt. Staring down at the girl, she then realized the arena had gone silent. Eirene looked up and stared at all the shocked faces pinpointed on her, waiting for her to strike. Her eyes searched the crowd for a familiar face, for some encouragement. But her eyes instead landed on Andrew, who wasn't even looking up. He was sitting there, reading a book. This, for some reason, irritated Eirene to the point that she wanted to throw the sword at his head.

"What are you waiting for?" Clarisse yelled, snapping Eirene back to the present.

**Comments and reviews? I'd love if you review/comment, also please share!**


	18. Chapter 18

"I don't want to hurt you; I just want this to be over. You can lead the quest if you want. So I'm going to let you go—"

"No! No, that isn't good enough. I will not lead a quest if Chiron doesn't deem me worthy. And he'll only deem me worthy if I defeat you. Harm me now or set me free so we can battle."

Eirene swallowed, taking only a second to decide. She stepped back several feet and allowed Clarisse to stand up, tossing the sword back into her hands. Hesitating for a second, an idea sprung unto her mind and she also tossed Clarisse her sword, leaving her weaponless. She would force Andrew to look up, to watch her fight. Clarisse smiled and lunged at her with two swords in her hands, twisting them with intend to strike. Eirene waited until she was close enough, then back flipped away, kicking Clarisse's chin with the heel of her shoe.

Clarisse was taken aback for a second, which gave Eirene another opportunity to lunge and attempt to plant an uppercut on her, but Clarisse saw her shadowing and was able to avoid her attack. She directly turned Eirene's sword in another attempt to stab her, but the sword seemed to forcefully diverge itself from attacking its owner. Clarisse tried again, and once again there was a strong gravitational force that swerved the sword in a different direction.

Realizing that she couldn't fight with her enemy's sword, she threw it to the ground and kicked it away. Eirene bent down to pick it up, automatically reduced itself to its ring shape, and slipped it on. She charged at Clarisse who was attempting to slay her, and blocked the attack with her hand. She grabbed Clarisse's sword and tried to pull it from her grip, but the child of Ares had an equally strong grip. They were stuck struggling for one sword for a bit until Clarisse gave up and decided using her fists would be better, and most likely make her look naturally tougher.

"Don't want to fight with your own sword eh? Getting a bit selfish?"

Eirene didn't say anything, but just swung the sword at Clarisse, who dodged and threw a punch Eirene's way. Her eyes narrowed, and she seized the opportunity. When Clarisse's punch came her way, she grabbed her closed fist and used the side of the sword to slash at her arm, creating a cut that quickly bled.

There was silence. Everyone seemed to have stopped breathing. Both girls were locked in a freeze frame, the sword still just inches from where it cut Clarisse. Eirene was mildly in shock; she didn't expect the winning strike to play out exactly like how she imagined. The cut wasn't exactly deep, it was the size and width of a paper cut; but it was a very important cut. It was the cut that said Eirene was the winner of this challenge, and that she was to lead the quest. Her eyes unconsciously flashed to Andrew, who had his eyes locked with hers.

"Let go of me!" Clarisse's shoved Eirene and punched her down, breathing deeply. How could this have happened? How could've she fought so immaturely? A _Newbie_ had beaten her. _What would her father say?_

Eirene struggled to sit up, frightened by the look in Clarisse's eyes. It wasn't anger or fury, but pure sadness. Had leading this quest really meant that much to her? From the corner of her eyes she saw Chiron galloping towards them and stopping short at Eirene's feet.

"Stand, child." She did as she was told.

He griped her hand and raised it high. "Eirene of the Hermes cabin is victorious. The leadership of the quest is rightfully awarded to her." He looked at her. "Today, a new hero is born."

The crowd cheered and roared with fits of encouragement and some of outrage, though those were primarily the Ares cabin. She looked around the arena, and the faces and smiles of the campers she would soon be calling her family, and despite herself laughed. She smiled and laughed and held up her sword victorious.

-Timeskip-

"You have no idea what you've just done."

"What?" Eirene was torn away from her conversation with Sam by Andrew, who had spun her around by the shoulders and pulled her to the side. Her mind flashed to the sight of him finally looking at her in the arena, and she stifled a smile.

"You're laughing? This isn't funny. You've awoken the wrath of Ares."

This time she was really listening. "Wait, _what?_ What've I done?"

"You defeated a child of Ares. You not only beat Ares but you got into a fight with Clarisse and came out with nothing more than dirt on your shirt."

Eirene was lost for words, especially when Clarisse was glaring at her just a few feet away. "I…I'm sorry? Was I not supposed to fight her? I offered her the role of leader multiple times but she refused. And she isn't battered up either, only for that tiny scratch I gave her."

He looked irritated; his eyebrows furrowed. He pulled Eirene's hair from her face and held her cheek. "You were punched several times and even head butted her, but I see no bruise or indication of violence on your face." He took both her arms next, showcasing the front and back. "You were stabbed in the arm with enough force to leave a scar, and you fell several times. But your skin is still smooth." For a second she feared he'd grab her legs too, but instead he just pointed. "And your legs; as exposed as they are, there are unscarred. Clarisse on the other hand, has a welt growing on her forehead, and her jaw was lightly fractured."

Again, she was lost for words. Andrew…Andrew was very observant. Someone she could tell would cause a lot of problems for her in the future. "Okay, even so, what's your point? What's your motif?"

He glanced around and lowered his voice to a whisper; crouching his head to her level. "Did you swim in the river of the Styx?"

Her heart dropped. "_What_?"

He elaborated. "Because if you have, I want to go on the quest with you,"

"_What?_"

"You've said what about four times now."

"That's because I'm confused and disoriented. You're…you're throwing too much at me at once." She took a breather, trying to process what he was asking of her. He had asked if she had encountered the river of invincibility, and then said that if it was true he'd volunteer to accompany her on the quest. "Okay, one question: Why?"

He seemed taken aback. "What do you mean?"

"Yesterday I tried to talk to you. I tried to make small talk or—or become friends. But you shot me down to the point where it was obvious you didn't want anything to do with me, so why now? Why are you talking to me now? Why are you interested in me now?"

He paused, taken aback from her direct question. "Because you have something I want."

"Which is?"

A conch horn rang out throughout the camp, cutting off their conversation. "Attention campers: Please gather around the bonfire, for Chiron wishes to waste your time." It was Dionysus, speaking with his usual drool and bored tone. Andrew looked confused, and looked around for clarification.

"What's going on? Why is there a bonfire now?" Eirene, despite her anger towards him, looked to Andrew for answers. He looked around to all the campers walking to the pavilion and turned back to Eirene.

"Sometimes if Chiron has an urgent announcement he'll call a camp-wide meeting at the bonfire." He jabbed a finger towards her. "It probably has to do with _you_,"

Somehow she knew he was right and grabbed his arm, pulling him away from the bonfire. "Come on,"

**Comments and reviews? I'd love if you review/comment, also please share!**


	19. Chapter 19

He didn't struggle, but simply slid his arm out of her hand. "What are you doing?"

She leaned against a nearby tree. "I want to know why you want to go on this quest with me, and you'd better hurry: I think Chiron would be forced to pick Clarisse if the real winner doesn't show."

He let out a huge sighed and stuffed his hands in his pockets, looking irritated and defeated. "Because you have the blessing of the Styx River on you,"

"_The blessing_?" She hissed. She didn't know if she should be insulted or laugh.

"I know some most Athena children find it a curse, but I don't. Because I need it, I need that blessing to be able to find someone whose been taken away to a very, very bad place." He sounded desperate and tired; his voice a whisper that turned harsher and harsher with each word. He was looming over her, his face inches from hers. She saw his blue eyes filled with despair and instantly wanted to help him, no matter what the request was.

But she pressured on. "And how am I supposed to help?"

"You know where it is. You could take me there; you could…teach me how to survive it." He was pleading her, begging her in a way that she knew bruised his ego. Eirene began to study his face, his blue eyes that were accented with long blonde eyelashes…the curve of his lips, the lining of his jaw…his cheekbones that had the sign of a faint scar. She touched it, feeling a shockwave throughout her body.

"One more question," She whispered. "Who is this person?"

He held her gaze. "Someone I love."

With a sigh and an incline of her head, she walked ahead of him towards the pavilion. She couldn't say no to his request, to his chance at saving someone he loved. Of course, she could simply give him the 'blessing' he desired, but felt it would be an abuse to her power. It was true that the river had been dried up, but with her still alive and breathing on this earth it had slowly began to re-fill itself. What Zeus hadn't realized when he created her was that she was the vessel for the river; all it needed was a host with a beating heart to bring it back to life. It would live until the day she grew old and died, and then Zeus would choose another to bear the curse of the Styx River.

They arrived and gathered around the bonfire, all of the campers already seated. Chiron turned and smiled when he saw her, giving a curious but brief glance at Andrew.

"And the guest of honour arrives. Come, Eirene, sit amongst your fellow campers."

She did as she was told, scooting next to Travis when Andrew sat next to Annabeth, along the other Athena campers. Chiron stomped his hoof to get everyone's attention, then began speaking.

"Hello fellow gods, satyrs, nymphs and demigods alike. Although it is not normal behavior for me to call a bonfire this early, it's because I have an announcement," He cleared his throat. "A summer ago, we received a camper. He played with us, ate with us, and gained our trust. And then he left, never to be seen again. Recently, we have become curious as to how he even came in contact with our camp. He was never issued a satyr, and never claimed. And then we discovered the truth: That he was never a demigod, but just a mortal."

There were a few murmurs going on through the crowd, some speculating who it was. Eirene looked up at the Stoll brothers, who gave her a knowing look.

"His name was Dennis Walker."

A wave of gasps and exclaims of shock rattled the crowd. Chiron waited patiently for them to get quiet again.

"We do not know how he stumbled upon this camp or why he would suddenly leave, but nevertheless it is dangerous for a mortal to be walking out there with the secrets of our gods," He cleared his throat, turning to now face Eirene. "Today, there was a battle. And today, there was a winner. That winner will be the one to lead the quest for Dennis's capture and return. Eirene, please stand."

Sheepishly, she got to her feet.

"Having only been here for a day, this unclaimed camper has managed to single handedly defeat one of our best fighters and claimed the role of leader on this quest. Please show her your respects." There was applause, but very brief. "And now, Eirene shall decide who will accompany her on the quest."

Instantly she looked at Andrew, who nodded at her. "If it's okay, I'll choose Andrew to accompany me."

Chiron nodded, accepting. "And your second…?"

Heather shot up, arms crossed. Chiron looked her way, surprised. "Heather Knightly, you volunteer?"

She shook her head. "No, but I do volunteer Damien." She paused to let the confused faces settle before continuing. "Think about it, Damien is our strongest and rarest asset, with him out there on the field finding Dennis will be a breeze."

Damien stood up, a cocky grin plastered on his face. "While I am flattered that you would volunteer me, I must refuse it on the grounds that I would miss you too much."

She didn't waver. "Dennis just maybe more of a threat than we thought of him, we need someone with the power of the elements on this quest. Damien just happens to have _two_."

"And may I remind Chiron that the last time I tried to use both at the same time I nearly called upon the oceans to bring the entire camp down to Hades?"

Heather glared at him from the corner of her eye. "Then Don't. Use. Them. Both."

He flashed the devilish grin of his. "You of all people should know I'm a risk taker."

"Enough!" Dionysus shouted, his voice echoing. "I will have both of you on dung cleaning duty for a month if you don't _shut your traps and sit down_. This is a serious matter."

They both sunk down to the ground in shame, Annabeth began talking to Heather in which Eirene assumed to be a scolding, but wasn't quite sure. She turned back to Chiron, shrugging. She didn't know who else she wanted to take on the quest with her. She didn't know many people and the only obvious option for a friend companion was Sam, which Eirene was the most reluctant to choose. It's not like she wouldn't want the girl with her on the quest, it was just that she had become protective of Sam in the short time that she'd known her. She felt like taking the young one along would cause distraction from the real objective: Locating Dennis. Eirene feels she would feel the need to protect Sam instead; which in hindsight was ironic seeing as how they had met when Sam had saved _her_ life.

"I see. Then I will choose the other camper." Chiron grunted. "Then will Connor Stoll step forward?"

The shock was as prominent on his face as his brother, but he stood up anyways.

"Me?" He asked with a finger pointed at himself. Chiron smiled and nodded.

"Yes. You have been long overdue for a quest, and I think this particular one will do you good. You were friend with Dennis, were you not?"

"Yeah but—" Connor looked down at Travis, who also looked bewildered. Eirene felt it was at the idea of his brother going on a quest without him.

"There are no 'buts'. You will accompany Eirene on this quest, and that's final."

**Comments and reviews? I'd love if you review/comment, also please share!**


	20. Chapter 20

"The oracle? What do you mean; I have to go see the oracle?"

Eirene had studied enough Greek mythology to know what the oracle was, a person of supernatural sight which gods were supposed to speak through or prophesy. But she wasn't too fond of them. They never give good prophesies, and it always sounds like someone's dying or someone will be lost forever. She was hoping she could just slide by; this quest didn't seem difficult or hard enough for her to have to go see the oracle.

"The oracle is mandatory when campers receive quests. It lets us know whether we should proceed or not, or whether you truly are worthy to lead the quest."

Eirene's face was blank. "Wait…are you saying that even though I won the battle it _still _doesn't mean that I can lead the quest?"

He nodded.

"But…but…what if she prophesied that I'm not ready? That someone will die or that I'll fail in my quest?"

"Then Clarisse will be appointed leader. But please don't look so flustered; there is a very small chance that the oracle will reject you. You are the most reasonable choice, and you show great potential."

She sighed, seeing no way to get out of this. "Okay….alright I'll go see her. Where is she, anyways?"

"The oracle, Rachel, is in the garden tending to the flowers with the Demeter campers. I suggest you go there to look for her… and Eirene?"

She had already begun walking in the direction that he'd pointed when she turned around to look at him. "Yes?"

"Good luck."

She smiled softly, silently said thank you, and then continued down towards the gardens. Even though she had only been on the grounds for no longer than two days, you couldn't miss the gardens and the harvesting fields. They were abundant in size and as well in smell, the scent of ripe strawberries and blossoming petunias filled her nose as soon as she sighted it. They were pretty close to each other, and Eirene saw campers in both of the field, planting seeds and harvesting fruits. She walked towards the garden and allowed herself to take in the scenery, a great white arch led into the opening of the garden, with all kinds of flowers entwined into the wooden archway. They were layers and rows of flowers, from Roses, to Daisies to Tulips and even Venus fly traps, they were flowers and conflicting scents everywhere. She thought it beautiful and even stopped to smell a few. Faeries and nymphs sprung from the roots of the flowers and tickled her nose; giggling and flying away.

She turned around and could see two girls crouched low and digging into the ground, both planting a brand of flowers that resembled a heart, drooping. Both were ginger, with freckles spread out all over their skin. Eirene was able to indentify Rachel by the darker frizzy mane and her green eyes, while the other had a straight red hair and brown eyes. She approached them cautiously, sheepishly saying hi.

They both looked up, a smile spreading on Rachel's face. "Hello! Do you need flowers planted?"

She shook her head. Rachel seemed to connect Eirene's body language with her face and was able to tell what was going on. She looked back at her flowers. "Sit down and smell the roses, will ya?"

Eirene crouched down and examined the flowers the girls were planting. They were flowers she had never seen before. "What are these called?"

Rachel looked to the other girl sitting next to them. "What are they called again, Maria?"

Her lips moved, but no sound came out.

"Come on, I know you can speak louder than a whisper." Rachel said, friendly coaxing the girl on.

"B-bleeding hearts," She sputtered. "They're called bleeding hearts…because…because they are shaped like hearts and looks like they're bleeding." She finished kind of robotic and flat, blinking nervously. Eirene cocked her head to the side and stared at her, Maria turning red soon resembling one of the strawberries not-so-far-away.

She relieved the girl and put the attention back on the flowers. "They're something not of the normal sort, are they?"

Rachel nodded, patting the soil down firmly. "It originated from Eastern Asia, places like Japan and such. Their proper name is _Lamprocapnos spectabilis_, but since it's such an annoying mouthful we just call it a bleeding heart."

Rachel stood up, dusting off her shorts. Eirene noticed that the girl was not only covered in dirt, but paint as well. _This is the oracle?_ Eirene thought strangely. She had seen the former oracle in Percy's memory, and it just seemed like a huge, massive change. She just seemed too…normal.

Rachel's face brightened as she looked behind Eirene, waving a person over. "Daniel! Nice for you to finally pay us a visit," She gestured to Maria, who has looking at Daniel doe-eyed. "She could use some help planting the rest of these flowers." She turned back to Maria and winked, stalking off with Eirene's arm locked with hers. They walked towards a more quiet area, though still in part of the garden. You could see Daniel and Rachel digging a hole where they stood, Maria avoiding eye contact and blushing profusely.

"They are so cute; don't you think they're so cute?" Rachel's voice was that of a doting mother seeing her children's baby pictures. Eirene simply nodding, glancing in their direction briefly; Daniel was still of an anomaly to her, he was simply gorgeous and she suspected he was a child of Aphrodite, but he acted unlike the other campers. His siblings would never be caught dead in a garden, planting and getting dirty. Nor would they have any tattoos or piercings, but Daniel had and did all of that.

"Maria has a crush on him, and I think he likes her too. I swear by it, he never seems interested in conversation or participating unless it has to do with her."

"She seems quite shy."

"Oh yeah, one of the most extreme cases of introverted-ness I've ever seen. But when she does speak, it's always worth hearing. And I think Daniel notices that too," A slow smile crept on her face as she watched them. "I hear he plays the guitar—"

"I'm sorry, it's all very interesting but I came here for a reason other than bleeding hearts and puppy love."

Rachel grinned. "Oh, I know. Sometimes I like to see if I can have a normal conversation with someone before they demand their prophecy."

Guilt quickly washed over Eirene, and she felt her stomach concave. Of course Rachel must miss having a normal everyday conversation with people, she probably felt incredibly lonely. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean—"

Rachel held up her hand, and shook her head. "It's alright, you've actually lasted the longest." She folded her arms. "So tell, what's your name?"

"Eirene,"

"Eirene what?"

She shifted her feet. "Just 'Eirene,'"

She raised her eyebrows. "Well, 'just Eirene' let's see what I can do here. Follow me."

And she followed Rachel out of the garden into a room Eirene assumed was the big house attic. It was damp and empty, and frankly looked like it was used as a storage room. Eirene came across many items that seemed Greek in appearance and radiate a sort of power. Smelling an indescribable aurora, she turned and saw what looked like a pink shimmering scarf lying on a box and reached out to the touch it—

"Don't touch that!"

Eirene snatched her hand back and turned to stare at Rachel with appraising eyes, surprised. "Sorry!"

"That's a love scarf, that is. Whoever wears it falls in love with the first person they see."

"Oh," Eirene backed away from it slowly. "What's it doing here?"

"Dunno, I think Annabeth left it here. Anyways, take my hands." She reached out her hands for Eirene to grab, who followed suit. Rachel closed her eyes, concentrating hard. Not taking long enough for Eirene's mind to wonder; Rachel's eyes glowed white and her mouth opened to reveal a voice that was not her own.

_"You shall travel east and find the one who has lied_

_See him safety returned, your promise abide_

_An archer, a scholar and a thief shall rise_

_Becoming the threat that reaches the skies_

_You shall travel to the west river for a friend_

_And find that it was useless in the end _

_A love shall perish, and hell you'll reap_

_When you anger the one who saved you from sleep_

_Victorious in the end you shall be_

_And revive the one who you want to see"_

And then she was done. Her eyes no longer glowed white and when she spoke it was not in the eerie drone of the oracle, but in the normal tone that was Rachel. She shivered a bit, as if making sure the last of the prophecy was out of her and smiled brightly at Eirene, who was left with so much information to digest. It had been an unusually long prophecy, which could not have been a good thing. Perhaps her life was destined to be more dangerous than others because of who she was. But what Rachel had said…

An archer, a scholar, and thief shall rise. What did that mean? Would…someone be revived from the dead? Becoming a threat that reaches the skies, that line sounded as if a war that overtook the earth would break out.

**Comments and reviews? I'd love if you review/comment, also please share!**


	21. Chapter 21

Rachel, who seemed oblivious to Eirene's silent suffering, nudged her. "So, how was it?"

"I'm sorry, but what did you mean by a love shall perish? Which love? And who saved me from my sleep? Who'll become a threat the reaches—"

"Sorry, sorry, sorry and sorry. But I don't remember anything I just said; it was the spirit of prophecies talking, not me." Looking apologetic, she sighed. "I know that's annoying, but I can't answer any of your questions."

Eirene pursed her lips, reframing from screaming in frustration. She knew it wasn't Rachel's fault, but the lines of the prophecy had scared her to the point where she wondered if she really should take on this quest. But…_You shall travel east and find the one who has lied, See him safety returned, your promise abide._ That must mean that she finds Dennis, right? That she finds him and brings him back to Camp Half-blood._ Victorious in the end you shall be._ That line sounded positive…maybe; maybe she could go on this quest after all.

"Um, Er, it's just that—"

"Look, did the prophecy say anything about you failing?"

"No...But it did say someone will perish."

Rachel looked alarmed. "Perish? One of your partners will die?"

"I—I don't know," Eirene sputtered, heat rushing to her cheeks. But it also said I'll be victorious in the end and revive someone…"

Rachel's expression stayed perplexed for a moment, but then softened. "I think you're a-okay for going on this quest, Eirene. The prophecies are never all good, you'll hit some bumps along the way but everything will be alright in the end!" She let go of Eirene's hands and pulled her in for a hug. "No need to be worried," She muttered before letting go and patting her shoulder.

"I suppose you'll want to tell Chiron about it?"

Eirene nodded, stilling analyzing the prophecy in her head. Her and Rachel said their goodbyes as they exited out of the big house attic and took different routes. Finding Chiron over by the stables tending to the horses, Eirene approached him carefully.

"Sir?"

He turned around just as a sleek black horse ate the sugar cube gingerly out of his hand, licking it clean. "Eirene, you've gone to see the oracle?"

"Yeah I met Rachel…and she gave me my prophecy."

He waited. "Well? Anything about you perishing or failing?"

"No but—"

He held up a hand. "Then you are fine to proceed with the quest, since the main goal is fulfilled. I am not supposed to know many details about you prophecy, but I assure you nothing too dangerous would arouse from this—"

"Chiron! Ah, I'm sorry for cutting you off but we do need to discuss _certain lines_."

He gazed at her wearily. "What was the last line?"

"Um, _Victorious in the end you shall be and revive the one who you want to see_. But that isn't the line I'm worried about, you see."

"Sorry my dear, but it seems that whatever the other lines seem to say, you'll come out in the end victorious. Everything will be alright, I assure you."

She frowned; feeling a bit hurt that he seemed to determined to not hear her out. But he had a point; the last line seemed to prophesy that everything would be alright. So she agreed to stop worrying and proceeded with her day.

"Geez, why is Chiron being such an ass today?" Travis groaned, running his hands through his hair.

"Well he is, technically." Connor replied, causing them both to laugh.

Eirene blinked. "No he's not; he's a centaur not a donkey."

Connor paused, placing both hands on Eirene's shoulder and slumped his head. "Oh little one," he sighed, lifting his head up. "You have so much to learn as a child of Hermes."

She shrugged his shoulders off, looking indignant. "I'm not a child of Hermes, I'm undecided."

Connor dropped his hands, looking as if she'd slapped him. Travis snorted, faking being hurt. "You didn't have to say it like _that_, being a child of Hermes has its charms. For example, we are naturally very cunning people, so you'd be glad to have Connor in your little quest gang." he commented. Eirene didn't understand Connor's reaction but she didn't like looking at his expression, so she turned away.

"I'm sorry, I'm sure you're right." She rushed to apologized and change Connor's expression. "We'll definitely need the power of persuasion on our quest, especially with Dennis. I have a feeling he won't be easy to convince to just waltz back into camp with us."

"I still don't want to believe it," Travis sighed. "How could this happen again? How could we_ let_ this happen again?"

Eirene thought back to Luke, who had also happened to be a child of Hermes. She could imagine how betrayed and hurt they felt, being double-crossed by one of their own not once, but possibly twice. She knew that the Stoll brothers were supposed to the mischievous pranksters, who flowed on the rhythm of their own boat, but she suspected that once in a while they'd reach out to other fellow campers and get close with them. How many times would their trust be compromised?

"There doesn't have to be a malicious reason behind it, maybe he could've just left. Missed home; felt bad about lying or something."

They both shook their heads. "No, Dennis wasn't the sentimental type. He was confident in the things he did, rarely regretted it." Travis said, looking to his brother to finish.

"He came here for a reason, and he left so soon for a reason," Connor's eyes locked with Eirene's, determination in them. "And we have to find that reason."

She swallowed, nodding. "Should we get on then? Do we have to pack anything?"

There was a sudden knock on the door that drew their attention away from their quest. Travis rushed forward and asked who it was. Moment later he opened the door to reveal Andrew at their doorstep.

"You're not exactly allowed in here, buddy." Travis tried to close the door again, but Andrew used his hand to force it open.

"Look, we eventually have to start going. Leo has invited us to the Armory so he can help us get fitted for armor." His eyes slide to Eirene. "Well, two of us."

Trying to quickly draw attention away from herself, Eirene grabbed Connor's arm and hauled him towards the door. "Andrew's got a point, the sooner we get started the better."

They said their goodbyes to Travis and started on their way to the Armory. Andrew seemed to know the way, so Eirene reframed from asking. She decided to chum up to Connor instead, and ask him questions about Dennis.

"So Dennis, I assume he was a good friend of yours?"

He agreed. "Yeah, he was as close to me as I am with Travis. We got along well; he was funny and enjoyed playing pranks on the other campers. We pulled some good ones together." He smiled at the thought, and Eirene was intrigued to know more.

"Like what?"

He couldn't help it, a laugh escaped his throat. "This one time we caught Percy and Annabeth together; kissing and such, and opened an Iris Message reflecting them to the whole camp. Annabeth was angry but embarrassed more than anything, and while Percy drenched us in water every time he saw us for a month, it was totally worth it."

"Ah yes, exploit a couple's personal affairs to the whole camp just for a chuckle. That is truly a telling tale." Andrew's tone and flat and sarcastic; irritating Connor with his bored expression.

"Oh yeah?" He looked determined. "We once placed a bucket full of glue paste on the top of Apollo's door, so when they opened it—"

"It fell on their heads? A prank worthy of a middle school sitcom," He yawned.

Connor was reaching his limit. "There was this other time when we placed mirrors all over the forest, so during our game of Capture the Flag with the Aphrodite cabin we won because they kept stopping to check for flyaway hairs or smudged lipstick."

This time Andrew actually stopped walking and turned around, giving Connor the once-over. "Are you telling me that the only way you blokes can win a game of CTF is by distracting the other team?"

Eirene had to intervene at this point when she was convinced Connor was going to jump on Andrew and attempt to pummel him. "_Woah Woah_, okay, that's enough. Let's just concentrate on getting to the armory." She had her hands on both their chests holding them back, when she felt Connor draw back.

He let out a hot breath through his nose. "Fine,"

Andrew smirked, turning around and leading the way once more. Eirene wanted to ask him why he was so difficult, but she reframed. Soon they found themselves located in front of a big metal shed next to the Athena cabin. Eirene sheepishly knocked on the door but got no response. Connor used his fist to bang on it, creating a loud echo. The door soon swung open to reveal a boy with tan skin and curly hair, oil and dirt stains on his face and clothes. He was holding a hammer in one hand and a sword in the other.

"Hello," She said. "You must be—"

"Leo Valdez at your service," He grinned, his teeth shockingly white. He stepped away from the door and gestured them inside, closing the door when they were all in.

"For the sake of introduction, this is the armory; where all your armor dreams come true." He gestured to the wall adorned with all kinds of swords and shields, small and big, flimsy and sturdy, from all different sorts of colours. She thought it looked amazing and incredibly creative.

Leo handed Andrew the sword in his hand. "I know you asked me to custom make you one so I just finished yours just right now. Be careful when handling it." As he said it, Andrew was examining the sword and testing out its lightness.

"Thanks mate, it feels just fine."

"'Just fine?' that's premium Leo-made baby! It shouldn't feel anything less than…than…"

Connor eyed the sword with interest. "Sexy?" He offered.

**Comments and reviews?**


	22. Chapter 22

Leo paused, and then laughed. "Yeah, Sexy; It shouldn't feel anything less than sexy." He placed his hand on Eirene's back and motioned over to a wall filled with armors.

"I saw the fight, and I'm assuming you already have a sword. By the way, I'm sure you're a hero to most of the campers. Including me," He cheesed at her, and she couldn't help grinning back. He had that effect on people, Leo did. "But there are beasts out there wilder than Clarisse, and I'm afraid you'll probably need some shielding out there."

For the sake of appearing normal, Eirene agreed. "Though, I'd like something light, so I can move around easier."

"Of course, I already have one picked out for you." He pointed upwards, motioning to a small-sort of armor, a light blue and that glowed silver when reflected. It came with cuffs of the same colour, embroidered with intricate designs. "A beauty, isn't it?"

Eirene nodded, waiting patiently as Leo brought it down and over to her. He helped her into the armor and latched on her cuffs. It felt light and airy, though when Eirene moved her shoulders the suit seemed to pierce her armpits, and it made for an uncomfortable feeling. She glanced down at her cuffs and noticed that there was a button shaped like a wing resting on it. Softly pressing it, a shield erupted from it and formed a protective barrier in front of her.

"Awesome!" Connor gazed longingly at Eirene's shield-producing cuffs. "How come she gets the decorated armor?" She heard Connor complain as the shield retreated back into its container. Leo hovered the armor above Eirene's torso; seeing if it would fit.

"Oh I don't know, I guess I always put in extra work for the ladies; especially ladies who challenge Clarisse." He winked at Eirene and handed her the piece of armor. Andrew rolled his eyes theatrically.

"I think that's it then, right? We can go?" He walked up to Leo and gave him a strange handshake that led into a one-arm hug, which Connor imitated. Leo gave Eirene a hug and ruffled her hair before letting them get on their way.

Before setting off, Eirene felt like she had to say goodbye to Sam. She knew she would miss her a lot, the girl had made such a big impression on her in just a short time that she was reluctant she wasn't coming with them. As she set off to find Sam in the Apollo cabin, Andrew and Connor went back to their respectable cabins to saying goodbye to their own friends.

The door swung open and Eirene saw April greeting her. "Hello?"

"Oh, hi," She paused. "Is Sam here?"

The blonde head disappeared into the house and in its place was a brunette. Sam beamed up at Eirene, though her smile did not reach her eyes. They looked slightly misty; sad.

"Eirene! I'm so happy for you, your first quest! And you beat Clarisse!"

"Keep your voice down! I don't want her to think I've been gloating about it…"

"But it is something you should gloat about, Eirene! Child of Ares, undefeated, was defeated for the first time. It's an—"

"Okay! Okay, fine. Just please, keep your voice down." Eirene pleaded, looking around and leading Sam out of her cabin.

"Oi, new camp champion!"

Eirene cringed at the title but turned around anyways; knowing it was her they were calling. It was Heather and Matthew; Heather who was smirking and Matthew who was staring at Eirene the way a competitor would stare at its competition. Sam seemed to freeze by Eirene side, unconsciously moving in front of Eirene as to draw Matthew's attention to her.

"Please don't call me that." She pleaded in a small voice, getting skeptical looks from both campers.

"I have to admit, it was a battle worthy of Ares _and_ Athena. And now you're going on a quest, because you won fair and square." Heather spoke slowly and with precision, putting emphasis on the every word that made Eirene know she, like Andrew, also thought she had taken a swim in the river.

"Even though you shot me, that fight today made up for it. You brought glory to the cabin of Hermes, which is commendable." He nodded at her, and Eirene heard a breath go into next to her.

"Wait, _you_ shot him? _You're the one who shot an arrow at Matt_?"

Eirene gulped, hands flying everywhere as she tried to explain herself. "I didn't mean to! I heard rumbling in the woods and assumed it was a monster so I…I'm sorry Sam."

"Really Sam, don't worry about it. I'm fine now, April healed me," He pulled up the arm of his sleeve and showed a patch of skin that was covered in a thin bandage. "Tis nothing but a scratch now,"

"But still! Why did you lie to me, why not just say you did it?"

"W-why? Well didn't you hear Clarisse threatening to severely punish whoever committed the crime? I was scared." Embarrassed but determined to not have the guilt pinned on her, she pleaded her case. Plus, it wasn't Eirene's entire fault that she had shot Matt; if he hadn't been spying on her then she would've never heard the rustling! "I'm sorry I lied but I was at that moment I was scared…"

Sam sighed, smiling grudgingly. "I guess it couldn't have been helped, and I shouldn't be yelling at you when you came to say goodbye. Bye!" She yanked Eirene into a hug, squeezing her tightly.

"I wish I could go on this quest with you, I have been itching for a chance to sneak out for a while…" Heather tapped her chin, pondering. The gesture, however innocent, connected with Eirene. The lines of the prophecy flashed through her minds and they suddenly made sense.

"No!" She suddenly yelled, her hand shooting out to grab Sam's arm forcefully. "No," She said softer. "Sam, Heather, Matt. You have to promise me something."

They all looked at her warily, Matt shook his head profusely. "Sorry, I don't make promises. It's bad luck to children of Hermes." He earned a skeptically look out of Heather and a glare out of Sam.

"_Please_," She pleaded. They all stared uneasily at each other, and then turned back to her.

"Is something wrong, Eirene? Because if there is, we can help—"

"Yes, something's wrong. And yes, you can help, But only if you agree to the promise. It could potentially save the camp and maybe…the world."

Silence spread out over them, and their expressions mirrored one another: Fear, Confusion, and uncertainty. Heather ran her hands through her hair uneasily, speaking first. "Alright, what type of promise?"

"Promise me you won't crash this quest. Promise me you won't try to follow me, or sneak out to help me or to find Dennis."

"Are you kidding me? We don't need to promise that, we already know not to sneak out. Plus, it's not like I was chummy enough with Dennis to want to chase after him," Sam said, trying to reassure Eirene that she would never even consider sneaking out.

Heather nodded. "True, Samantha has a point. Although…" She eyed Matthew. "I think it's the Hermes campers you should be warning. They were the closest with him."

"Hey, you stop that; always putting the blame on Hermes. I won't go looking for him; why would I? He lied to everyone."

Firmly reassured in their statements to not go looking for Dennis, Eirene nodded and smile at them, pulling them all in for a group hug. "Thank you, you guys. I can breathe easier now!" She released them and waved goodbye again before walking away and meeting up with her quest members in the process, who both had book bags draped over their shoulders.

"Are we taking a portal or something, or do we exit the same way we came?"

Andrew scoffed and pointed towards the pine tree. "The latter one; except we actually have a chauffeur this time."

Argus was waiting for them at the bottom of hill, honking his car impatiently. Chiron had told them he was to drive them wherever their quest led, which Eirene was told was East by the Oracle. Andrew and Connor seemed to race to the car, each calling out 'shotgun' though in the end, Argus had forced them all in the back seat because he claimed the boys were annoying. While all squeezed into the backseat, Argus began driving. After a long, awkward silence, Andrew broke it with a question.

"Do you even know where the hell we're going?"

"Um, not exactly," She admitted. She knew what the area around the place looked like, but she didn't even know _where _the place was. She had been to several places while on the run, and the bakery could be in California for all she knew. Andrew gazed at her momentarily before putting his forefinger and thumb between his eyebrows. He sighed deeply before letting his hand smack back down on his thigh.

"So we're just going to wonder in bloody circles for how many days?"

"No! I'm sure we could possibly get our hands on information about the bakery eventually."

"Do you know how many bakeries there are in New York, let alone the world, Eirene?" Connor too sounded annoyed, and she started to panic with the amount of guilt already being placed on her shoulders.

"It…it was called Levain bakery. The cookies in the doors were huge and the sealed-off building was right next to it."

"Well, we could look up 'Levain bakery' and—"

There was an earsplitting sound followed by a crushing impact and all three demigods were thrashed around the car before the windows shattered and they were eventually thrown onto the road. Momentarily distracted and disoriented, Eirene barely had time to open her eyes and sit up before someone was yelling 'look out!' and she felt herself being pulled out of the way. There was a deafening roar and Eirene wrenched her hair out of her face to see the beast that had attacked them. It roared again, flexing its wings and revealing a row of sharp teeth. Its human- face did not fit well on its lion-like body, with a tail like that of a scorpion. It looked like something the gods had made on a drunken day, mixing the body parts of multiple demons into one.


	23. Chapter 23

"It's a Manticore!" Andrew yelled, pulling out his sword and backing away from the mighty beast. Argus, who Eirene thought unconscious quickly got to his feet and hurried away.

"What the hell is a manticore doing in New York?" Connor also pulled out his sword and held it in front of him as he attempted to jab it in its toe. It bucked, throwing Connor across the street and right into a pole.

"Connor!" Eirene screamed, attempting to run to his side but was held back by Andrew.

"He's fine, just let him be. We have to take care of this monster first…" He cursed when he looked around and saw the amount of passerby's screaming and pointing. He had no idea what the mist was showing them, maybe a giant elephant attacking a couple of teenagers. "What in blazes name a Manticore is doing here is beyond me…"

"What do you mean?"

"I swear, don't you know anything? Manticores are higher upper power demons. They reign in Hades, and never leave unless during a time of extreme war or by a direct order of Hades."

Eirene stared at him, and then back at the beast. At the moment all they were doing was running from it, as it kept spitting out a foul-coloured liquid that melted everything in its path. It was true that this type of demon seemed out of placed in such a environment but to spend all their time wondering what it was doing here would be foolish, as it would continue destroying the town if they didn't conquer it. Connor was beginning to stir, and Andrew suddenly took a running-start towards the beast and leaped from a car unto its tail; slicing the telson in one clean motion. Connor also charged towards it, avoiding being smacked sideways as the beast swung its claws his way. He proceeded to stab the beast's ankle, attempting the severe it in half. The beast stomped around, trying to throwing off Andrew who was bucking against its tail like he was riding a bull, and grabbing at Connor who kept avoiding his swipes and stabbing its hand with his sword.

Feeling quite useless, Eirene threw her ring in the air and caught it as a sword, activating her shield and running towards the beast herself. Though her venture was cut quite short when the manticore simply picked her up from the middle of the road and held her over its lips; The reaction from the boys was almost immediate, she could hear her name being chanted from them both as she struggled to be released from the monster's grip, but also trying not to fall into its mouth. She suddenly imagined how this must look, on her first quest and already seconds away from being killed by the first monster they encounter. A damsel in distress, they would call it. The thought of it sent fury coursing through her veins and she was suddenly burning in ways that did not harm her but the beast instead. It felt the heat from her skin and let go of her with a yelped of pain. And Eirene fell; she fell right into the beast's mouth.

Connor yelled and Andrew was thrown off the Manticore's tail when the shock of what had just happened distracted him. His head hit the pavement and he groaned as he reached and felt his head for blood. But he had no time to worry about himself and his injuries; Eirene had just been swallowed by the Manticore and was probably being digested by its toxic stomach acid.

Connor ran over and helped him get up. Without time for formalities, he pointed at the beast and practically spat. "It's eaten her! She's dead, how're we supposed to kill that thing?"

Andrew brandished his sword. "Celestial bronze, if we can reach its heart—what the hell is it doing?"

Connor turned around and saw that the beast's stomach was glowing, a king of greenish colour that got brighter and brighter until finally it busted, unleashing a wave of energy so strong that the boys had to hold onto a pole to refrain from being blown away. Their eyes were closed and once they were able to open them they saw Eirene lying on the ground in the spot where the Manticore once stood. Connor was the first to react as he ran towards her, Andrew following behind. She was still lying on the ground when they reached her, arms splayed over her head and eyes closed.

"E-Eirene? Are…are you alive?" Connor beckoned.

Her eyes snapped open and were glowing a vibrate green, momentarily rendering him speechless. Andrew came up behind him, demanding to know what had happened.

"Blimey, what did you do? Did you, you, puncture its stomach or something?"

Eirene blinked, her eyes returning to blue. The boy's faces were a mixture of shock and horror. Though they were badly battered, they both had multiple bruises and cuts on their faces and their clothes were tattered. Andrew's hair was matted with blood and Connor had a split lip. They looked like they had just emerged from battle, while she imagined she looked like she had just sat in the sidelines. "I'm sorry?"

"We thought you were dead!" Connor reiterated.

"Why would you think that?"

"Because we watched the Manticore swallow you whole!"

"Oh. Well I'm not." She sniffed the air. "Does anyone else smell pretzels?"

Connor started to laugh at the same moment that Andrew collapsed next to her muttering 'she's mad' under his breath. "What?" She questioned, staring at the laughing fit that was Connor and Andrew who was lying next to her. "What is it?"

"You're ridiculous. Are you kidding me?" Andrew sat up, suddenly angry. "You just busted from the stomach of a Manticore, completely killing it in the process and the first thing you notice is the ruddy smell of _pretzels_?"

Eirene felt at her suddenly growling stomach. "I haven't eaten since yesterday." In honesty, Eirene was purposely acting this way to draw attention from what she'd just done. She gazed at her hands, flexing them as she remembered the feeling she had just experienced. She had never done it before, never thought she could. But she had been so angry and so in distress when the monster had swallowed her that her skin started to radiate energy so toxic she could feel it coursing through her, and thought that if she didn't let it out she'd explode. She knew that she would not die if she stayed here, the stomach acid she was standing in didn't even register on her skin and she felt quite dry. So she'd placed her hands on the layer of the beast's stomach and channeled all her energy into them. The results: well they had seen it. She had practically imploded the monster from inside, and something in the back of her mind told her she had been channeling the power of the Styx.

Connor stopped laughing and clutched at his ribs. "Ow ow, okay ow. So I think my ribs are fractured. Can someone reach into my bag and pull out ambrosia?"

Eirene moved away from Andrew and assisted Connor in retrieving the ambrosia, which he ate gingerly. A few moments later, he straightened up and beckoned towards the pretzel cart at the corner of town. "Let's go get some hot pretzels."

Eirene nodded and almost followed; until she got the nagging feeling she was forgetting something. Then as she allowed the noise of the background seep through, she realized the crowd of people staring and pointing at them. Undoubtedly, mortals couldn't see monsters or a demigod's power in action. They would've seen something else, and it must've been pretty bad for them to be reacting this way. "Wait, you guys!" Andrew and Connor turned around. "What are we going to do about them…?" She pointed to the wave of people who were pointing at them and talking loudly. "We can't just leave, can we?"

"Of course we can!" Connor exclaimed. "You see, in these situations it's best to leave quickly before we can get caught…"

Andrew used the back of his hand to smack Connor lightly on the back of his head. "Always wanting to run away like an idiot, we've already been caught." He nodded his head in the direction of multiple officers who were approaching the teens swiftly. One of them walked up directly to Eirene; he was a short man who was pudgy with a fat black mustache.

"What is the meaning of this? Can you kids explain yourselves—?"

"Officer! Please, no need to worry. We were only doing our jobs." Andrew shoved Eirene out of the way and flashed what looked like an I.D. to the officers, except it was blank. Eirene was about to ask him what he was up to until the portly man seemed to nod with understanding.

"Hmm, I see…well then. Everything seems to be in order. I'm assuming we take it from here?"

Andrew nodded, and the officers cleared out. Soon they were telling all the onlookers to keep walking and get on with their days and Andrew gestured to the pretzel stand.

"Now we can eat."


	24. Chapter 24

"What was that thing? Did Athena give it to you?"

They had just finished paying for their pretzels and were walking away from the chaos they had made. Eirene was very impressed and interested in how Andrew had saved the situation from escalating to an unwanted stage, and was also curious as to what the blank I.D. was.

"Yeah, a few weeks ago she came to me in a dream and put it in my pocket, telling me I'd need it soon. I thought it wasn't real until I felt in my pocket and it was there."

"How does it work?" Eirene asked.

Andrew brought it out to show it to her. "It's a fake identification card, or psychic paper. It lets the other people reading it know whatever they need to know to let you slide. I we'll need it a lot, seeing as how we'll encounter other beasts."

"Seems handy, mind if I nick it?"

"Depends, mind if I punch you in the face?"

"I don't know, why don't you try?"

Eirene quickly stepped in, squeezing herself in between them before they pounced on each other. She knew they might've been a bit of friction between them, but she hadn't imagined they would dislike each other _this _much. She pressed her hands against their chest and pushed them apart. "Quit it. We're supposed to be a trio,"

They glared at each other for a moment before walking away, and Eirene let out a sigh of relief.

"The Manticore still doesn't sit right with me, how did it get here?" Connor asked. "Hades couldn't have set it on us; this quest is a quest all the gods should support."

Eirene bit into her pretzel and drew back with a disgusted expression. "What's in this thing?"

Andrew looked over. "What do you mean? You ordered the one with custard inside of it." At her still disgusted expression, he added, "Don't tell me you don't like it? You can't be wasting my money like that."

"I wasn't trying to waste it on purpose, stop scolding me like I'm a child!"

"Hmm, what happened to being a trio?" Connor laughed. "Give it to me instead, I don't mind custard." Connor plucked it out of her hands and replaced it with his own. "Here have mine."

She had already bitten hers and seeing as how his was untouched she started to protest but stopped when he seemed to have already devoured half of it. "Okay then, thanks." And when she bit into it, she found that the ones with no filling were much tastier. She glanced over at Andrew who quickly glanced away, running his hands through his hair.

"Alright guys, I think we'd better find a hotel or something to freshen up in. We're kind of a mess." He gestured to his face and clothes, and the others nodded. They eventually found a decent-looking hotel and with the help of Andrew's psychic paper were able to get into a two-bedroom apartment with a small TV and sizeable bathroom.

"Five minute each, no more no less." Andrew dropped his book bag on the bed and sat down. "Who wants to go first?"

Connor volunteered, taking his bag into the bathroom and coming out of there in exactly five minutes, wearing different clothes. His hair was wet and he was rubbing a towel against it. Eirene was next, who took no less than three minutes seeing as how she really only need to wash her hair. Her clothes weren't too badly ripped, so she put them on again after drying her hair as much as she could. Upon exit, she found that Connor wasn't in the room any longer.

"Where'd Connor go?"

"He wanted to bother the bell boy like a kid." Andrew entered the bathroom and Eirene sat down on the bed, fingering the remote as she did. She had never watched TV, only heard whispers and mentions of it from the people she'd pass while running. She had seen the news a couple of times at the café's she stop in. She turned it on and the first channel that was one showing videos of people hurting themselves and the audience laughing at it. At first it looked quite painful to see those people constantly land on the ground with a groan, but the laughter of the audience seemed to influence and sway her. It gave her a different feeling than she had ever felt, and for a moment she thought of all the people watching this same program on their home TV, happy and content with their lives with no knowledge that any of this demigod business existed. She was snapped out of her thoughts when the door opened and she saw Andrew with a towel wrapped around his torso and shirtless.

Unthinking, she gasped and quickly turned around with her back facing him. Her face burnt scarlet, though she didn't know why.

"Ah sorry, I forgot my bag out here." And the door once again locked shut. She didn't feel like it was safe to turn around again, especially with her face blazing red, so she just stayed with her back facing the door, trying to calm her beating heart.

_What is this feeling? What is it? _As her heart threatened to burst out of her chest images of Andrew shirtless flashed through her mind and she tried to force them out. _Why is my heart beating like this? I don't like this feeling, it's scary, please make it go away, please make it go away!_ Panic echoed through her and she gasped again when the door open and Andrew came out of the bathroom, fully clothed.

He looked like he wanted to laugh. "Calm down, you look so flustered."

He didn't wear camp clothes in the first place, and this time he was wearing blue jeans and a plain white-tee with a gray cardigan. She could see the curve of his biceps through the fabric and was reminded of his stomach, showcasing the obvious results of exercising when she had seen it bare. She didn't know why she was thinking about this, and put her head in her hands to rid her mind of these thoughts.

The door opened again and Eirene heard Connor's voice. "What the, what did you do to her?"

She snapped her head up before Andrew could retort. "Nothing! I'm just a bit tired is all,"

He tossed her something and she caught it in her hands. It was a soda pop, orange flavoured. She opened the can and drank deeply, almost finishing it if Connor hadn't stopped her.

"If you drink it too fast, it'll make your stomach hurt."

Eirene brought it away from her lips, gazing at the delicious can. "I've just never tasted anything so good."

"Is that ridiculousness on TV? Awesome! I haven't seen that since—"

The TV suddenly turned off. "And you won't. We're moving too off course from the quest and we only came here to clean up and maybe talk strategy. Eirene," She jumped at the mention of her name. "There's a computer downstairs, why don't you look up the bakery and get us instructions to it."

She got up reluctantly and marched out of the room, reaching the elevator and pressing the floor button. As it opened, a little girl was standing there. Eirene smiled as she entered but the girl did nothing but stare at her in return. Eirene was currently on the top floor, so she pressed the button for the first. Seconds later, the girl had reached across and ran her fingers through all the buttons, pressing them all.

"Buttons are pretty!" Was all she said as she smiled at Eirene, who was forced to smile back; great, now she'd take longer than usual, and Andrew was sure to scold her when she got back up! Enduring three different floors opening and closing, the elevator suddenly stopped; jammed.

"What the, what's going on?" Eirene yelled, bagging on the doors and trying to pry them open. They didn't budge.

She looked back at the little girl. "What's your name? Is your mom looking for you?"

But once again, the little girl just stared. And then she started to change.

Her pigtails stretched and turned in gangly strands of hair and out of her back grew bony-like wings. Her hands turned into claws, and her torso and legs morphed into the tail of a serpent and her eyes looked gouged out and were dripping blood. Eirene cursed her horrible bad luck, and continued to bang on the door furiously. The space between them was rather small and she knew the monster would be on her any second if she didn't act fast before it finished transforming. She should've known, with her life she should've _expected_ it.

She felt for her ring in her hand and accidently dropped it as she tried to turn it into a sword. Before she had time to grab for it the fury was clawing at her with its talons. It screamed, showcasing its sharp yellow teeth. Eirene grimaced from the foul smell and activated her shield to block out its talons while she searched the ground for her ring. She reached to grab it as the monster made another lunged at her again. It grabbed her hair, yanking and pulling her back as it clawed at her face. She screamed out of irritation instead of pain and grabbed the beast's arms and held them together, causing it to shriek and thrash its wings around menacingly. If it didn't allow her to reach her ring, she would try to stun it by breaking its neck. So she used full force and swung the fury's face right into the elevator door multiple times.

The effect did almost nothing but it disoriented the fury enough for Eirene to reach her ring and turn it into a sword, swinging it towards its torso and watching it combust before her eyes. Normally it burst into dust and simply vanished, but this fury was particularly messy. When it exploded, it let out burst of blood that stained the walls and Eirene all together. Disgusted and extremely annoyed, she struggled to get up without slipping.

Rage surged through her and she felt her skin burn again. The blood began to melt off her skin and hair, but stayed on her clothes. With an exasperated sigh she lunged at the door with her sword, slashing it open in every way possible. The material of her sword melted metal, so she was soon able to walk out of a gaping hole into the middle of the third floor. Surprisingly enough there was no one walking through the halls so she was able to dash up the stairs and back to sixth floor, knocking furiously on the door of the suite she was staying in.

**{Author's note: Sorry that I didn't update last week, I was sick in bed with a bad stomach bug. But i'm back, and I will start answering questions you all may have in the next few chapters! :) }**


	25. Chapter 25

Connor opened the door with a yell.

"Who's—oh it's you. Did you—?" But he stopped abruptly again when he saw her messy hair and the condition her clothes were in. "Woah. Did multiple people want to use the computer?"

"Don't ask," She breathed, her chest heaving up and down. "Just let me through." And without waiting for him to stand aside and let her in she shoved her way through and locked herself in the bathroom. A moment later there was banging and Andrew's voice echoed into the room.

"You go!" She yelled. "You go downstairs and look up the bakery!" She was furious for reasons she didn't quite understand. Why would they send_ her_ downstairs? Why couldn't one of _them_ have gone?

"Can't you just tell us what happened?" He yelled back.

"Did you get into a fight with someone who wanted to use the computer before you?" Connor asked. "Because it looks like you lost, and I can't say I'm not disappointed."

"I was attacked, okay?" She was as annoyed in herself as she was with him for not leaving her alone. "A fury attacked me!"

"A fury?" This time Connor's voice sounded, quieter but still audible. "Why would a fury want the computer?"

"It was disguised as a girl." She whispered, momentarily forgetting that they couldn't hear her, "It pressed all the buttons…"

Connor banged on the door. "Come on! open up or I _will _knock this door down,"

Eirene could practically hear Andrew rolling his eyes. "Not very likely," He scoffed.

"Good point. Open up or I'll use _Andrew_ to knock this door down!"

"I _still_ doubt that."

"Do you? Would you like me to prove it by bashing your thick-ass head against this door?"

"You could barely bash your sword against a Manticore, let alone _reach _my head."

"You've got to be kidding me!" She couldn't believe it. They were arguing, arguing! After she'd just told them a fury had come after her and she'd fought it off _by herself_. Why did it seem like all she'd do was fight, and all they'd do was argue with each other? Especially Andrew, he was so _whiny_. She was holding her hands against her ears to try and block them out, but they were so much louder than she thought. _The only reason they're arguing is because you locked yourself in…maybe if you just unlock the door…_So she unlocked the door and swung it open.

Connor immediately pounced on her with a hug, but drew away just as quickly. "Oh yuck, what's on your clothes?"

"I don't know… a little girl exploded on me!"

She was given the oddest of looks by him. "You…You may want to reword that or—Ow! Ow, what the hell! ow!" He was jumping and batting away at his skin that looked like it was peeling off—_No_—burning off. The atmosphere immediately changed, everyone hurrying to do something, with Andrew rushing into the bathroom and Connor still batting away at his skin when he decided to stop drop and roll, which quieted down the flames. Eirene was crouching down on the floor muttering 'sorry sorry sorry!' as Andrew came back into the room, and threw a bucket full of water right at the already extinguished Connor…and missed, hitting Eirene instead.

"Well, that was a complete bust." Andrew threw the bucket aside and went to crouch at her side. "Sorry, you alright love?"

"Um, excuse you Casanova? You mind directing your worry over here; _I WAS JUST ON FIRE_."

Eirene squeezed the water out of her hair and shifted away from Andrew to kneel at Connor's side. "I'm sorry! It was my fault, wasn't it?" She reached for his arm but drew back when he winced. "The blood of the furies, I didn't know they burned human skin…"

"They shouldn't, most times furies don't even have _blood_." Andrew was helping lift Connor up and draping him against the bed frame. He lifted his arms and placed pillows below them. "This is worrying…"

They were raw skin lesions on various parts of his chest and arms, all the parts that had touched Eirene when he'd hugged her. She gazed down at him and saw the pain on his face, and felt guilt overwhelm her. An image of Connor being thrown against a pole during the Manticore attack made a pit form in the bottom of her stomach. It's only been a day and he's been hurt _twice_.

"I'm sorry!" She blurted out, and Connor let out a soft laugh.

"It's not your fault; I'm just a hugger." There was sweat trickling down his face and his eyes were squinting. "Can someone get me some ambrosia?"

_Why didn't I think of that sooner?_ As she was grabbing his bag Andrew stopped her and shook his head. "He can't have any, not so soon. He had some earlier, remember?"

She didn't understand. "So?"

"If demigods have too much ambrosia, they die. Connor just had some earlier—"

A faint image of Annabeth telling her the same thing popped in her mind. "But that was hours ago!"

"We still can't risk it. Don't look at me like that; I'm trying to think for the future here. At this pace, we'll all need ambrosia later today, and Connor can't have three in one day. He's going to have to manually heal."

"Great," Connor groaned. Andrew inspected his burns and reached into his bag for water and bandaging.

"We have a third degree burn on our hands. I already elevated the wounded areas…now we need to get some wet towels…"

Eirene didn't even wait for the order, she rush into the bathroom and poured water into a bucket, dumped towels of different sizes in it, and brought it back to Andrew. He placed the towels on Connor's burn marks, trying to cool them down.

The longer she looked at Connor, the worse he seemed to appear. It looked like he was struggling to keep his eyes open and he was still sweating. She couldn't help but feel responsible, and she reached over to grip his hand. His response was immediate, and he tightened the hold.

"Connor…"

"Don't. It's not your fault…" He winced as Andrew removed the towels. "Plus at least when I return I'll have some battle scars to show off; as long as you don't mind me taking credit for killing a fury."

She shook her head and let a small smile sneak through. _He's always making jokes about everything, even when…even when he's in situations like this. He doesn't deserve this; he doesn't deserve pain; permanent scars…_ and then idea flashed through her mind: _Heal him._ Heal him… the idea didn't make her feel any better. It didn't appear like a light bulb in her head, and she knew if she applied the idea it may cause more trouble than it solves. _But…_ every time she looked at his face and saw the pain in it, she couldn't stand it. She wouldn't forgive herself if he got scars and she knew she could have done something to prevent it and didn't. Her only hesitation was that Zeus had told her to use it sparingly.

He'd told her that every time she healed someone, she was taking a little bit away from her life span, her life force and putting that into someone else. So if she healed Connor, he would live a year longer than he should. And she would die a year younger than she should. _But does that matter? Do I really want to live any longer in the first place?_

"Eirene?"

_I have a feeling after this quest is over I'll be back to running, never staying still, do I want_—

"Eirene! Your hand, it's crushing mine!"

"Sorry!" she loosened her grip, but didn't let go.

"You seem to be in more pain than I am…"

"Don't say that, that can't be true!"

Andrew was applying Aloe Vera to Connor's burns and then started wrapping his arms with bandages. "We'll have to replace them every few hours…" He paused, stared at Connor's tattered and burnt shirt and sighed, turning his gaze to Eirene. "I'll leave the rest to you, I'm going downstairs to scope out the area and make sure it's monster free."

She didn't pick up on what Andrew meant at first by 'leaving the rest to her' until she too looked at Connor's shirt and understood. She'd have to take off his shirt and apply the Aloe Vera herself, and then wrap it. When the door closed, there was an awkward silence.

"You don't have to do that, I can—"

"No! It's fine, just…sit up." She helped him lift his head up and repositioned his pillow as he sat up, wincing. His shirt was pretty much in runes, and she figured it would be useless to try and get it over his head, so she ripped it off him. She would be crimson in te face if she wasn't appalled by the sight of his wounds and open-bleeding sores on his bare chest. He was toned and defined with a hard stomach but his physique was outshined by the burnt marks staring Eirene in the face, making her feel guiltier and guiltier. Applying Aloe Vera, she didn't even know how to properly do that and feared that she may mess up or not get enough on one area and too much on the next. And then there was that thought, the forbidden thought creeping in the back of her mind…

Connor hadn't taken his eyes off her worried expression. "Eirene, if this is too much for you or something its fine." His tone was a bit humorous, he found it a bit cute how she looked so flustered at the image of his naked chest.

She shook her head and took Connor's hands again. "It's just…Connor, can you look at me?"

His gaze shifted to their entwined hands and then to her eyes. "Is there something wrong?"

"Connor, there's something I'm going to do. And it might freak you out at first but…I want you to trust me."

And suddenly he felt worried, even somewhat flustered. The things that were going through his head…most of them made him blush. What was she going to do?

"Don't be afraid…" She took a deep breath. "I'm going to heal you."

**{Author's Note: Next chapter might be a bit late, My laptop was taken into the shop a few days ago and it's due for fixing, so I've been using my Mum's laptop and haven't had a chance to type as much as i've wanted too.}**


End file.
